Variable Naming Conventions

Variable Names

To use variables in the user C program, he must know how to create variable names.

In C, variable names must adhere to the following rules:

• The name can contain letters, digits, and the underscore character (_).
• The first character of the name must be a letter. The underscore is also a legal first
• character, but its use is not recommended.
• Case matters (that is, upper and lowercase letters). Thus, the names count and Count refer to two different variables.
• C keywords can′t be used as variable names. A keyword is a word that is part of the C language.

Variable Name Legality

• The following list contains some examples of legal and illegal C variable names:

• Using an underscore to separate words in a variable name makes it easy to interpret.
• The second style is called camel notation.
• Instead of using spaces, the first letter of each word is capitalized.
• Instead of interest rate, the variable would be named Interest Rate.
• Camel notation is gaining popularity, because it′s easier to type a capital letter than an underscore.
• We use the underscore because it′s easier for most people to read.
• User should decide which style, he wants to adopt.