Identifier
An identifier is a name or value that denotes or distinguishes an entity or program element within a system.
Modern C
An identifier is a C name assigned to a program entity such as an object, type alias, function, or constant.
- How it is used
- Names program entities so declarations and subsequent uses can identify their properties and roles.
- How deep it goes
- Defines identifier roles, works through declarations, then examines naming restrictions and shadowing; does not enumerate all name-space rules.
- Examples
- Uses function, array, and object declarations; a header-name collision scenario; and an `extern` shadowing program.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose/debug with it by tracing a name to its declaration and scope, and avoid reserved or collision-prone names.
Modern C, Third Edition
An identifier is a programmer-defined name that denotes a program entity such as a variable, function, or parameter.
- How it is used
- Names program entities so declarations can establish what each name represents.
- How deep it goes
- Defines identifier roles and works through declarations, then discusses Unicode portability without developing a full lexical grammar.
- Examples
- Uses `A`, `main`, `size_t`, and `EXIT_SUCCESS` for distinct roles, plus `année` for a non-Latin name.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand what a declared C name denotes and choose readable names with awareness of Unicode portability.
Building User-Friendly DSLs
An identifier is a value that uniquely distinguishes an AST object so it can be indexed and referenced during persistence operations.
- How it is used
- Supports AST serialization, deserialization, persistence, transportation, and reference resolution.
- How deep it goes
- Explains representation, generation, reference substitution, and ID-indexed resolution, while deferring collision-proof production identifiers.
- Examples
- Uses the Rental AST, nanoid-generated values, nested Data Attribute objects, and refId-based references.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch by assigning IDs, serializing references as refId values, and resolving them during deserialization.
The Well-Grounded Rubyist, Fourth Edition
A Ruby identifier is a lexical name used to refer to a program element such as a variable, method, constant, or class.
- How it is used
- Helps distinguish Ruby program names at a glance and interpret bare words during code reading.
- How deep it goes
- Explains variable naming forms and bareword resolution, then connects names to scope and the symbol table without detailing every scoping rule.
- Examples
- Uses `first_name`, `@age`, `@@running_total`, and `$population`, plus irb experiments with `s = :x` and `Symbol.all_symbols`.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose/debug with identifier forms, bareword-resolution rules, and scope when a Ruby name has an unexpected meaning.
Read how The Well-Grounded Rubyist, Fourth Edition explains identifier →
Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition
A name used to identify an entity in a program.
- How it is used
- Identifies program entities and appears in variable declarations and generator examples.
- How deep it goes
- Receives contextual examples but no treatment of identifier naming rules or syntax.
- Examples
- Uses WeaponGenerator and weapon in a loop over the yielded values Katana, Wakizashi, and Kusarigama.
Read how Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition explains identifier →
Related concepts
- delimited identifierincludes · A delimited identifier is a database object or attribute name enclosed in delimiter characters to permit otherwise problematic names or preserve its specified spelling.
- naming policyconfigured by · A naming policy is a consistent set of rules for choosing names for program entities.
- keywordcontrasts with · A keyword is a language-defined word or token with a predefined syntactic or semantic role, often restricted from use as an ordinary identifier.
- unique identifierincludes · A unique identifier is a value or name that distinguishes an entity or record from others within a defined scope or namespace.
- method callalternative to · A method call is an expression that invokes a method associated with an object, value, or type, optionally supplying arguments.
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