All C++ variables must be identified with unique names.
These unique names are called identifiers.
Identifiers can be short names (like x and y) or more descriptive names (age, sum, totalVolume).
Note: It is recommended to use descriptive names in order to create understandable and maintainable code:
Example
// Good
int minutesPerHour = 60;
// OK, but not so easy to understand what m actually is
int m = 60;
int minutesPerHour = 60;
// OK, but not so easy to understand what m actually is
int m = 60;
The general rules for constructing names for variables (unique identifiers) are:
- Names can contain letters, digits and underscores
- Names must begin with a letter or an underscore (_)
- Names are case sensitive (
myVarandmyvarare different variables) - Names cannot contain whitespaces or special characters like !, #, %, etc.
- Reserved words (like C++ keywords, such as
int) cannot be used as names
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