Is it appropriate to have a single-letter as a variable?

Is it appropriate to have a single-letter as a variable?

The short answer. Generally single-letter variable names are bad for readability. However, there are a few exceptions where using single-character variable names is useful: some cases when the variable is only used within the space of up to three lines and it’s clear what the name stands for.

What’s wrong with Hungarian notation?

Some potential issues are: The Hungarian notation is redundant when type-checking is done by the compiler. Compilers for languages providing strict type-checking, such as Pascal, ensure the usage of a variable is consistent with its type automatically; checks by eye are redundant and subject to human error.

How to name for loop variables?

Perl standard

  1. In Perl, the standard variable name for an inner loop is $_.
  2. Even more common, however, is to not use a variable at all.
  3. Since only one loop can use the $_ variable, usually it’s used in the inner-most loop.

How do you name a variable in C++?

All C++ variables must be identified with unique names….The general rules for constructing names for variables (unique identifiers) are:

  1. Names can contain letters, digits and underscores.
  2. Names must begin with a letter or an underscore (_)
  3. Names are case sensitive ( myVar and myvar are different variables)

What is the rules for naming variables?

Rules of naming variables

  • Name your variables based on the terms of the subject area, so that the variable name clearly describes its purpose.
  • Create variable names by deleting spaces that separate the words.
  • Do not begin variable names with an underscore.
  • Do not use variable names that consist of a single character.

How is a pointer similar to a structure?

We have already learned that a pointer is a variable which points to the address of another variable of any data type like int, char, float etc. Similarly, we can have a pointer to structures, where a pointer variable can point to the address of a structure variable.

How to declare a pointer to a structure variable?

Here is how we can declare a pointer to a structure variable. This declares a pointer ptr_dog that can store the address of the variable of type struct dog. We can now assign the address of variable spike to ptr_dog using & operator.

Can a pointer be used in a struct in C?

Now, you can access the members of person1 using the personPtr pointer. Before you proceed this section, we recommend you to check C dynamic memory allocation. Sometimes, the number of struct variables you declared may be insufficient.

How does refactoring improve the structure of a program?

You begin with a program that runs correctly, but is not well structured, refactoring improves its structure, making it easier to maintain and extend. Currently there is not much written on refactoring. I have been making a start at doing something about this with some presentations and other articles.

Is it appropriate to have a single letter as a variable?

Is it appropriate to have a single letter as a variable?

The short answer. Generally single-letter variable names are bad for readability. However, there are a few exceptions where using single-character variable names is useful: some cases when the variable is only used within the space of up to three lines and it’s clear what the name stands for.

Can a variable be more than one letter?

Variable names can be arbitrarily long. They can contain both letters and digits, but they have to begin with a letter or an underscore. Although it is legal to use uppercase letters, by convention we don’t. Variable names can never contain spaces.

Why do mathematicians use single letter variables?

Perhaps the most compelling reason for using single character variables is that it enables the usual convention of omitting the multiplication sign in products.

Why is it important to name a variable?

Variables make code more than a static set of instructions. They allow logic to occur, enabling developers to measure time, analyze data, and customize the program to the user. Variables are so important to the code that they deserve a good name that accurately describes their purpose.

What are illegal variables in Python?

A variable name cannot start with a number. A variable name can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores (A-z, 0-9, and _ ) Variable names are case-sensitive (age, Age and AGE are three different variables)

Can JavaScript variables start with?

Naming Conventions for JavaScript Variables A variable name must start with a letter, underscore ( _ ), or dollar sign ( $ ). A variable name cannot start with a number. A variable name can only contain alpha-numeric characters ( A-z , 0-9 ) and underscores.

Can you have numbers in your variable name?

After the first initial letter, variable names can also contain letters and numbers. No spaces or special characters, however, are allowed. Uppercase characters are distinct from lowercase characters.

When do you use single letter variable names?

Generally single-letter variable names are bad for readability. However, there are a few exceptions where using single-character variable names is useful: index variables when iterating over a list, e.g. i, n, k some cases when the variable is only used within the space of up to three lines and it’s clear what the name stands for

When to use variable names in a loop?

The latter (or rather both) should be short and simple, making the scope of the variable small, limiting the possibility of confusion for readers. And if someone wants to search for exceptions, better search for exception types or catch blocks anyway. This said, I personally prefer using longer loop variable names such as index or idx.

When to use single character variable names in Excel?

However, there are a few exceptions where using single-character variable names is useful: some cases when the variable is only used within the space of up to three lines and it’s clear what the name stands for This is the most common use case for single-character variable names: It’s clear by convention that i is a list index.

Why do we use single letters in math?

For computations it is much easier to write (by hand) single letters than whole strings. Another issue similar to the above is that it is easier to visually recognize identical terms when you use single letters. Take the expression for the “final amount” you wrote down.