Scalar (computing) - Identifiers Referencing A Variable

Identifiers Referencing A Variable

An identifier referencing a variable can be used to access the variable in order to read out the value, or alter the value, or edit the attributes of the variable, such as access permission, locks, semaphores, etc.

For instance, a variable might be referenced by the identifier "total_count" and the variable can contain the number 1956. If the same variable is referenced by the identifier "x" as well, and if using this identifier "x", the value of the variable is altered to 2009, then reading the value using the identifier "total_count" will yield a result of 2009 and not 1956.

If a variable is only referenced by a single identifier that can simply be called the name of the variable. Otherwise, we can speak of one of the names of the variable. For instance, in the previous example, the "total_count" is a name of the variable in question, and "x" is another name of the same variable.