Variable roles
fixed value |
A variable initialised without any calculation and not changed thereafter - for example the number of array elements in use.
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stepper |
A variable stepping through a systematic, predictable succession of values - for example a counter in a loop
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most recent holder |
A variable holding the most recent value encountered when stepping through a sequence of unpredictable values
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most wanted holder |
A variable holding the most appropriate or significant value encountered when stepping through a sequence.
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gatherer |
A variable accumulating the effect of individual values, for example a running total.
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transformation |
A variable that always gets its value as a result of a fixed calculation from other variables - for example the result of a conversion function
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follower |
A variable that gets its value from the old value of some other variable, for example the previous position of the mouse.
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temporary |
A variable which holds a value for a short time and is then disposed of, for example holding a value during the swapping of two other variables.
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