From 7e0f25b41b8b63531a65339314c1c2f069f1b75e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Alex Zhou <126853855+aexzhou@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:17:14 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Fix access to static variable inside function (#7474) (#7475)

Fixes #7474.
---
 src/V3LinkDot.cpp                   |  7 +++++++
 test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.py | 18 ++++++++++++++++++
 test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.v  | 26 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 test_regress/t/t_var_xref_bad.out   |  4 ++--
 4 files changed, 53 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
 create mode 100755 test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.py
 create mode 100644 test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.v

diff --git a/src/V3LinkDot.cpp b/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
index 2aa4561c9..148e639ab 100644
--- a/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
+++ b/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
@@ -4331,6 +4331,13 @@ class LinkDotResolveVisitor final : public VNVisitor {
                                                           << cellp->modp()->prettyNameQ());
                     }
                 }
+            } else if (allowScope && !allowFTask && VN_IS(foundp->nodep(), NodeFTask)) {
+                // Function/task used as scope for static variable access (IEEE std 1800-2017 6.21)
+                // Don't set m_dotText so the static variable resolves as a VarRef rather than
+                // VarXRef. This is so that V3Begin won't move it out of the function/task's scope.
+                ok = true;
+                m_ds.m_dotSymp = foundp;
+                m_ds.m_dotPos = DP_SCOPE;
             } else if (allowFTask && VN_IS(foundp->nodep(), NodeFTask)) {
                 AstNodeFTaskRef* taskrefp;
                 if (VN_IS(foundp->nodep(), Task)) {
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.py b/test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..3cc73805c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# DESCRIPTION: Verilator: Verilog Test driver/expect definition
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+# under the terms of either the GNU Lesser General Public License Version 3
+# or the Perl Artistic License Version 2.0.
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2024 Wilson Snyder
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-3.0-only OR Artistic-2.0
+
+import vltest_bootstrap
+
+test.scenarios('simulator')
+
+test.compile()
+
+test.execute()
+
+test.passes()
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.v b/test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.v
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ae6d83976
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_static_var_xref.v
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// DESCRIPTION: Verilator: Dotted reference that uses another dotted reference
+// as the select expression
+//
+// This file ONLY is placed under the Creative Commons Public Domain.
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2020 Wilson Snyder
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: CC0-1.0
+
+package test_pkg;
+  class foo;
+    virtual function void visit();
+      static int compiled_regex;
+      compiled_regex = 1;
+    endfunction
+
+    function void end_v();
+      visit.compiled_regex = 0;
+    endfunction
+  endclass
+endpackage
+
+module t;
+  initial begin
+    $write("*-* All Finished *-*\n");
+    $finish;
+  end
+endmodule
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_var_xref_bad.out b/test_regress/t/t_var_xref_bad.out
index 36b8a9fef..0fccf4d8f 100644
--- a/test_regress/t/t_var_xref_bad.out
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_var_xref_bad.out
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-%Error: t/t_var_xref_bad.v:11:11: Found definition of 'tsk' as a TASK but expected a scope/variable
+%Error: t/t_var_xref_bad.v:11:15: Can't find definition of variable/method: 'bad_missing_ref'
    11 |   initial tsk.bad_missing_ref = 0;
-      |           ^~~
+      |               ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         ... See the manual at https://verilator.org/verilator_doc.html?v=latest for more assistance.
 %Error: Exiting due to