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c#language-agnosticterminologyglossary

What does the word "literal" mean?

What does the word "literal" mean when used in context such as literal strings and literal values?

What is the difference between a literal value and a value?

Solution

  • A literal is "any notation for representing a value within source code" (wikipedia)

    (Contrast this with identifiers, which refer to a value in memory.)

    Examples:

    • "hey" (a string)
    • false (a boolean)
    • 3.14 (a real number)
    • [1,2,3] (a list of numbers)
    • (x) => x*x (a function)
    • /^1?$|^(11+?)\1+$/ (a regexp)

    Some things that are not literals:

    • std::cout (an identifier)
    • foo = 0; (a statement)
    • 1+2 (an expression)