Glossary of Computer Science Terminology

procedure

A function which does not return anything. i.e. void f(...);

nullary

A function which does not accept any parameters. i.e. T f(void);

shadowing

A method of naming conflict resolution in which an identifier in an inner scope temporarily hides, or shadows, an identifier in an outer, enclosing scope, when those two identifiers share the same name.

static typing

The practice of explicitly declaring the data type of an object or function at compile-time. The data type of an object or function remains fixed, and cannot change during the program. See also: strict typing

strict typing

The practice of checking for type compatibility during compile-time; functions and operators accept arguments with well-defined types, and the compiler can produce type errors when incompatible types are used.

serialization

marshalling

Conversion of data into a specific format suitable for transmission, storage, or inter-process communication.