Variables are containers for storing data values.
In C++, there are different types of variables (defined with different keywords), for example:
int - stores integers (whole numbers), without decimals, such as 123 or -123double - stores floating point numbers, with decimals, such as 19.99 or -19.99char - stores single characters, such as 'a' or 'B'. Char values are surrounded by single quotesstring - stores text, such as "Hello World". String values are surrounded by double quotesbool - stores values with two states: true or false
Declaring (Creating) Variables
To create a variable, you must specify the type and assign it a value:
Syntax
type variable = value;
Where type is one of C++ types (such as int), and variable is the name of the variable (such as x or myName). The equal sign is used to assign values to the variable.
To create a variable that should store a number, look at the following example:
Example
Create a variable called myNum of type int and assign it the value 15:
int myNum = 15;
cout << myNum;
You can also declare a variable without assigning the value, and assign the value later:
Example
int myNum;
myNum = 15;
cout << myNum;
Note that if you assign a new value to an existing variable, it will overwrite the previous value:
Example
int myNum = 15; myNum = 10; cout << myNum;
Other Types
A demonstration of other data types:
Example
int myNum = 5; double myFloatNum = 5.99; char myLetter = 'D'; string myText = "Hello"; bool myBoolean = true;
Display Variables
The cout object is used together with the << operator to display variables.
To combine both text and a variable, separate them with the << operator:
Example
int myAge = 35;
cout << "I am " << myAge << " years old.";
Add Variables Together
To add a variable to another variable, you can use the + operator:
Example
int x = 5;
int y = 6;
int sum = x + y;
cout << sum;
Declare Many Variables
To declare more than one variable of the same type, use a comma-separated list:
Example
int x = 5, y = 6, z = 50;
cout << x + y + z;
C++ Identifiers
All C++ variables must be identified with unique names.
These unique names are called identifiers.
Identifiers can be short names (like x and y) or more descriptive names (age, sum, totalVolume).
Note: It is recommended to use descriptive names in order to create understandable and maintainable code:
Example
int minutesPerHour = 60;
int m = 60;
The general rules for constructing names for variables (unique identifiers) are:
- Names can contain letters, digits and underscores
- Names must begin with a letter or an underscore (_)
- Names are case sensitive (
myVar and myvar are different variables) - Names cannot contain whitespaces or special characters like !, #, %, etc.
- Reserved words (like C++ keywords, such as
int) cannot be used as names.
When you do not want others (or yourself) to override existing variable values, use the const keyword (this will declare the variable as "constant", which means unchangeable and read-only):
Example
const int myNum = 15; myNum = 10;
You should always declare the variable as constant when you have values that are unlikely to change:
Example
const int minutesPerHour = 60;
const float PI = 3.14;