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Software Engineering vocabulary · Programming Concepts

Variable shadowing

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In software engineering, variable shadowing means: A situation where a name declared in an inner scope hides the same name from an outer scope.

In Turkish: değişken gölgeleme

How it is used

Reviewers mention it when reused names make code confusing. It need not change or delete the outer variable.

Example sentences

  1. The loop's variable shadowing made the outer index difficult to inspect.

    The loop introduced a nearer binding with the same name as an existing one.

  2. We renamed the local token to avoid variable shadowing in the login handler.

    Renaming distinguishes two bindings; it does not alter the authentication rule.

Common collocations

  • avoid variable shadowing
  • accidental variable shadowing
  • variableA name in a program that stores a value, such as a number, text or list, so that the code can use or change that value later.
  • naming conventionAn agreed set of rules for how to name things in code, such as variables, files and branches, so that names look consistent across a project.

More terms: Programming Concepts

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