Declaration
A declaration is source syntax that introduces a program entity and specifies its name, type, or other properties without necessarily defining it or assigning a value.
Modern C
A declaration is a C construct that specifies the kind of entity an identifier refers to without necessarily defining the entity or providing its value.
- How it is used
- Specifies an identifier’s role and properties before its use in a C program.
- How deep it goes
- Works through function, array, variable, initializer, and extern examples, while deferring fuller complications of declarations and definitions.
- Examples
- Compares declarations of main, A, and i, then traces three declarations of i that denote two objects.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose/debug with it whether a declaration introduces a distinct object or names an existing one under extern and shadowing.
Modern C, Third Edition
A C declaration specifies the kind of entity an identifier refers to without necessarily allocating storage or supplying its concrete value.
- How it is used
- Tells the compiler what an identifier represents before that identifier is used.
- How deep it goes
- Explains declaration forms and their distinction from definitions, while deferring pointer details and qualifying its simplified initialization rule.
- Examples
- Uses function and array declarations, an initialized variable, and an array with designated initializers.
- What you can do after
- Apply it to identify what a C declaration specifies and distinguish it from an initialized object or function definition.
Related concepts
- function declarationcontrasts with · A function declaration is a source-language construct that specifies a function’s name and parameter interface, and may include its implementation.
- statementkind of · A statement is a syntactic program construct that performs an action, declaration, or control operation without necessarily producing an expression value.
- initializationconfigured by · Initialization is the process of establishing initial values or a starting state for a program entity, component, resource, or computation before subsequent operation.
- prototypeincludes · A function prototype is a declaration specifying a function’s name, return type, and parameter types without its implementation.
- semanticskind of · Semantics is the meaning and behavior conveyed or assigned to expressions, constructs, representations, or their combinations in a language or symbolic system.
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