Introduction to C++ Program Structure

Identifiers

Variables, constants, function names, and other elements of a C++ program are called identifiers; they are used to name things

Identifiers may contain any letter, digit, or _ (the underscore) and they must begin with a letter or underscore

There are certain words in C++ that have special meanings and can't be used as identifiers; (e.g. int, float, main, const)

C++ is a case sensitive language; upper- and lower-case letters are considered to be different (e.g. SUM, Sum, sum are all different identifiers)

Most compilers allow identifiers to be 30 characters or more in length

Use meaningful names, you will be glad you did

Examples:

int student_id;
float rate, time, distance;
float NormalPay, OverTimePay;
char Middle_Initial;