Difference between keyword and identifier
Keyword vs Identifier
In programming, there are two very important concepts that are often confused: keyword and identifier.
Keyword
A keyword is a reserved word in a programming language that has a special meaning and cannot be used as an identifier. For example, Some examples Keywords in JavaScript include
if
,
else
,
for
,
while
, etc.
identifier
An identifier is any name that is used in a program to identify a variable, a function, a class, or any other type of object. Identifiers are usually chosen by the programmer and must comply with certain rules regarding their syntax and usage.
The main difference between a keyword and an identifier is that the former are reserved by the programming language and cannot be used for any other purpose, while the latter are chosen by the programmer and can be any word or set of characters that meet with the syntactic rules of the language.
Use of keywords and identifiers
It is important to understand the difference between these two categories of words in order to use them correctly in our code. For example, if we try to use a keyword as an identifier, the programming language will throw an error.
On the other hand, it is important to choose good identifiers for our variables, functions and classes so that our code is more readable and easier to understand for other programmers. Instead of using generic identifiers such as “x”, “y” or “z”, it is advisable to use descriptive identifiers such as “username”, “productquantity” or “totalsum”.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although both keywords and identifiers are important in programming, it is necessary to understand that they are different concepts and that each one fulfills a specific function. The right choice of identifiers can make the difference between confusing, difficult-to-maintain code and clear, easy-to-understand code for any programmer.
- Keyword: words reserved by the programming language
- Identifier: names chosen by the programmer to identify objects in the program