Questions tagged [keywords]
For questions about keywords, which are tokens with special meanings in a programming language.
12 questions
0 votes
2 answers
1k views
“return(x);” vs. “return x;”
In most C-like languages, a call such as printf("%d", x) is followed by two parentheses; and I see that a statement such as ...
user7877
17 votes
4 answers
3k views
Why did C99 have to add the underscored keywords for _Bool _Complex _Imaginary but not for inline or restrict?
C99 introduced the following keywords: _Bool _Complex _Imaginary ...
- 10.5k
12 votes
4 answers
5k views
Why not make all keywords soft in python?
In Python we have the concept of a soft keyword, which makes some keywords reserved only in some special cases (e.g. match, case ...
- 455
18 votes
7 answers
4k views
The static keyword and clarity in language design
Across languages that use the word static as a keyword or reserved word, I have observed it to mean: "This variable, despite being declared locally, shall be ...
- 2,053
-4 votes
3 answers
348 views
Are there any names for true/false values that languages used besides bool? [closed]
I know most languages use bool or boolean but I do not really like that name seeing as it was named after a person and a highly ...
- 669
22 votes
14 answers
5k views
Preserving backwards compatibility when adding new keywords
Inspired by Why do keywords have to be reserved words? Suppose that you're the BDFL of a programming language. Version 1 of the language becomes decently popular. A few years later, you decide to ...
- 2,394
10 votes
7 answers
5k views
Why do keywords have to be reserved words?
In many languages, the authors are hesitant to add more keywords, because doing so would break any existing code that happens to use those keywords as identifiers. However, they could do what C is ...
- 10.5k
8 votes
5 answers
1k views
Are there any reasons not to have built-in constants?
As of C17 there are no built-in constants. To use true false NULL or similar one must ...
- 10.5k
26 votes
9 answers
6k views
Are there good reasons to minimize the number of keywords in a language?
Are there good reasons to attempt to keep the number of keywords/reserved tokens in a language to a minimum? Such as by repurposing existing keywords for new syntax instead of adding new ones. Related:...
- 10.5k
11 votes
8 answers
4k views
What are the pros and cons of allowing keywords to be abbreviated?
A language that I use (M) has this nifty feature that allows you to abbreviate most keywords to a single letter. For instance, the following code: ...
- 807
8 votes
2 answers
393 views
How to correctly highlight contextual keywords?
Contextual keywords are tokens that are keywords in some contexts, and identifiers in others. Consider this example, which SE's highlighter gets wrong: ...
- 9,672
14 votes
3 answers
926 views
How do language designers determine what feature flags are part of the standard library and what are part of syntax?
Java has the @Override annotation. This annotation, when applied on a method, basically says that this method is intended to be an override of a superclass method. ...
- 3,412