Keywords and naming identifiers

• keyword
  • C++ reserves a set of 92 keywords (as of C++23) for its own use and each has special meaning
• special identifiers
  • C++ also defines : override, final, import, and module.

Naming identifiers

• identifier: the name of a variable (or function, type, or other kind of item) is called an identifier.
• naming rules
  • Can’t be a keyword
  • Only be composed of letters (lower or upper case), numbers, and the underscore character. That means the name can not contain symbols (except the underscore) nor whitespace (spaces or tabs).
  • Must begin with a letter (lower or upper case) or an underscore. It can not start with a number.
  • C++ is case sensitive
• convention
  • starts lowercase
  • Identifier names that start with a capital letter are typically used for user-defined types
  • underscore or camel case (both conventional)

# variables
int my_variable_name;
int myVariableName;
# functions
int my_function_name();
int myFunctionName();

• Tips
  • When working in an existing program, use the conventions of that program
  • identifier purpose should be clear, int ccount vs int customerCount