static const in switch of derived class?

[Oliver Twesten]

Hi

This simple code below compiles without error when pased into one file. But when I split the definitions and declarations into separate files (e.g. Base.h, Base.cpp, Derived.h, Derived.cpp - just as it should be), the compiler chokes at the switch statement complaining that msc_iCatIndex, msc_iDogIndex and msc_iBirdIndex are not constants. On the other hand, if I write something like msc_iCatIndex = 15; directly before the switch statement, the compiler complains that msc_iCatIndex is a const value.

class CBase  
{
public:
	static const int msc_iCatIndex;
	static const int msc_iDogIndex;
	static const int msc_iBirdIndex;
};

const int CBase::msc_iCatIndex  = 1;
const int CBase::msc_iDogIndex  = 2;
const int CBase::msc_iBirdIndex = 3;


class CDerived : public CBase  
{
public:
	char* GetAnimalName(int iAnimal); // may also be const
};

char* CDerived::GetAnimalName(int iAnimal)
{
	// compiler chokes at this line with
	// error 2166 "l-value specifies const object"
	// CORRECT!
	//msc_iCatIndex = 15;


	// the three case statements choke with
	// error 2051: "case expression not constant"
	// COMPILER ERROR?
	switch(iAnimal)
	{
		case msc_iCatIndex:
			return "Cat";

		case msc_iDogIndex:
			return "Dog";

		case msc_iBirdIndex:
			return "Bird";

		default:
			break;
	}

	return "unknown";
}

Is this a compiler bug? How can I bypass this without putting all the code into one file?

Thank you in advance

Oliver.