Declared Element Qualities
There are four possible qualities of a declared element that have an effect on how code interacts with it. All declared elements have at least one of these qualities.
- Data type – The values that the element can hold and how it stores those values. See Data Type Summary for more information.
- Lifetime – The period at run-time during which the element is available to use. See Lifetime for more information.
- Scope – The set of all code that can refer to the element without a qualified name. See How to Control the Scope of a Variable for more information.
- Access level – The set of all code that is permitted to use an element.
Qualities by element
The table that follows shows the declared elements and if a quality is applicable.
| Element | Data type | Lifetime | Scope | Access level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Constant | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Enumeration | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Struct | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Property | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Method | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sub/Function | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Procedure parameter | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Function/Method return | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Trait | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Class | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Event | No | No | Yes | Yes |