What type of the definition is int a?

Question

In the c++ 14 working draft N3797 declarations is defined as the following:

declaration-seq:
    declaration
    declaration-seq declaration

declaration:
    block-declaration
    function-definition
    template-declaration
    explicit-instantiation
    explicit-specialization
    linkage-specification
    namespace-definition
    empty-declaration
    attribute-declaration

block-declaration:
    simple-declaration
    asm-definition
    namespace-alias-definition
    using-declaration
    using-directive
    static_assert-declaration
    alias-declaration
    opaque-enum-declaration

alias-declaration:
    using identifier attribute-specifier-seq_opt= type-id;

simple-declaration:
    decl-specifier-seq_opt init-declarator-list_opt;
    attribute-specifier-seq decl-specifier-seq_opt init-declarator-list;

static_assert-declaration:
    static_assert (constant-expression,string-literal);

empty-declaration:
    ;

attribute-declaration:
    attribute-specifier-seq;

I think that it is explicit-instantiation, but I'm wrong. To what type of declaration int a; belongs?

Answer 1

explicit-instantiation is a template-related declaration, where a template class is explicitly instantiated for a particular type by a declaration. Example (from § 14.7.2 draft N3337)

template<class T> class Array { void mf(); };

// explicit instantiation of Array template class for char
// leads to all functions being instantiated too
template class Array<char>;

// explicit instatiation of only the member function mf for int
template void Array<int>::mf();

int a; is a simple-declaration like Joachim mentions in comment.