Underscore prefix

Hi,
I have seen a lot that some function arguments use as prefix the "underscore" character. For example:

Code:

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void* malloc(size_t _Size);

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It is a common way to declare the function arguments this way or it is reserved only to the standard functions (e.g. from "<stdio.h>")?

Thanks.

Not at all common, and in fact, that type of identifier is reserved for the compiler implementation.

It is not a bad idea to mark arguments differently from local variables, but using underscore at the beginning of symbols is not a good plan at all.

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Mats

Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matsp

It is not a bad idea to mark arguments differently from local variables

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That is debatable since arguments (or (formal) parameters, if you prefer) are local variables. Petike, considering that your example was of a standard library function, you probably really are looking at an implementation of the standard library, hence the use of a name reserved to the implementation.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by laserlight

That is debatable since arguments (or (formal) parameters, if you prefer) are local variables.

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Yes they are. But I can just say that our coding standards where I work, we mark member variables, arguments to functions and local variables differently (and global modifiable variables are near enough forbidden...). One reason pointers (and references in C++) ithat are arguments will potentially modify data outside of the function. Local variables (unless they point to data passed in by reference or pointer) are not changing anything outside of the function. I'm not sure if there are other reasons (I wasn't there several years ago when they got the coding standards set up).

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Mats

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