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author | Marti Bolivar <mbolivar@mit.edu> | 2010-12-21 10:27:37 -0500 |
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committer | Marti Bolivar <mbolivar@mit.edu> | 2010-12-21 10:27:37 -0500 |
commit | c45bccad44187da27505cf5808424e709e3f54a1 (patch) | |
tree | 18a459a50f8d0551ba046e30462c93999d982725 /docs/source/lang/cpp/scope.rst | |
parent | 84fd2532a7f23d20354ff590790b3f892cb7e7d7 (diff) | |
parent | d5ad2a27f4e69e6cc9324331945937c983c30366 (diff) | |
download | librambutan-c45bccad44187da27505cf5808424e709e3f54a1.tar.gz librambutan-c45bccad44187da27505cf5808424e709e3f54a1.zip |
Merge branch 'master' into debug-serialusb.
Chose debug-serialusb version in cases of conflict.
Conflicts:
libmaple/usb/usb_callbacks.c
Diffstat (limited to 'docs/source/lang/cpp/scope.rst')
-rw-r--r-- | docs/source/lang/cpp/scope.rst | 120 |
1 files changed, 120 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/docs/source/lang/cpp/scope.rst b/docs/source/lang/cpp/scope.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7b65bab --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/source/lang/cpp/scope.rst @@ -0,0 +1,120 @@ +.. highlight:: cpp + +.. _lang-scope: + +Scope +===== + +Variables in the C++ programming language, which Maple uses (all of +your sketches are C++ programs in disguise), have a property called +*scope*. Simply put, a variable's scope is made up of all of the +lines where the variable can be used. + +Scope in C++ is a fairly complex topic, so we won't try to describe it +in full here. Instead, we present a simplified view, describing two +different kinds of scopes, *global* and *local*. For more detailed +information, consult a C++ reference. + +Global and Local Variables +-------------------------- + +A global variable is one that can be "seen" by every function in a +program. In the :ref:`Maple IDE <ide>`, any variable declared outside +of a function (like :ref:`setup() <lang-setup>` and :ref:`loop() +<lang-loop>`) is a global variable. + +A local variable can only be "seen" inside of a particular function. +You can declare a variable to be local to a function by declaring it +inside of the :ref:`curly braces <lang-curly-braces>` which enclose +that function. + +When programs start to get larger and more complex, local variables +are a useful way to ensure that a function has exclusive access to its +own variables. This prevents programming errors when one function +mistakenly modifies variables used by another function. + +It is also sometimes useful to declare and initialize a variable +inside a :ref:`for <lang-for>` loop. This creates a variable that +can only be accessed from inside the loop body. + +Example +------- + +Here is an example sketch (which you can copy into the Maple IDE and +run on your Maple) that illustrates the use of global and local +variables, as well as declaring variables inside of a ``for`` loop. +Be sure to open a :ref:`serial monitor <ide-serial-monitor>` after you +:ref:`verify <ide-verify>` and :ref:`upload <ide-upload>` the sketch:: + + int globalVar; // any function will see this variable + + void setup() { + // since "globalVar" is declared outside of any function, + // every function can "see" and use it: + globalVar = 50; + + // the variables "i" and "d" declared inside the "loop" function + // can't be seen here. see what happens when you uncomment the + // following lines, and try to Verify (compile) the sketch: + // + // i = 16; + // SerialUSB.print("i = "); + // SerialUSB.println(i); + // d = 26.5; + // SerialUSB.print("d = "); + // SerialUSB.println(d); + } + + void loop() { + // since "i" and "d" are declared inside of the "loop" function, + // they can only be seen and used from inside of it: + int i; + double d; + + for (int j = 0; j < 5; j++) { + // variable i can be used anywhere inside the "loop" function; + // variable j can only be accessed inside the for-loop brackets: + i = j * j; + SerialUSB.print("i = "); + SerialUSB.println(i); + } + + // globalVar can be accessed from anywhere. note how even + // though we set globalVar = 50 in the "setup" function, we can + // see that value here: + SerialUSB.print("globalVar = "); + SerialUSB.println(globalVar); + + // d can be accessed from anywhere inside the "loop" function: + d = 26.5; + SerialUSB.print("d = "); + SerialUSB.print(d); + SerialUSB.println(" (before separateFunction())"); + + separateFunction(); + + // notice how even though separateFunction() has a variable + // named "d", it didn't touch our (local) variable which has + // the same name: + SerialUSB.print("d = "); + SerialUSB.print(d); + SerialUSB.println(" (after separateFunction())"); + } + + void separateFunction() { + // variable "d" here has the same name as variable "d" inside of + // the "loop" function, but since they're both _local_ + // variables, they don't affect each other: + double d = 30.5; + SerialUSB.print("d = "); + SerialUSB.print(d); + SerialUSB.println(" (inside of separateFunction())"); + } + +See Also +-------- + +- `C++ programming Wikibook <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/C%2B%2B_Programming/Programming_Languages/C%2B%2B/Code/Statements/Scope>`_. +- Wikipedia article on `scope <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_%28programming%29>`_ + +.. include:: cc-attribution.txt |