variable-length string

noun

UK /ˈveəriəbl leŋθ strɪŋ/

US /ˈveriəbl leŋθ strɪŋ/

A variable-length string is a piece of text that can be short or long, and its size can change.

The program stores the user's name in a variable-length string so it can hold names of any size.

SYNONYMS

dynamic string resizable string flexible string length-variable string

RELATED WORDS

string array buffer data type memory allocation

OTHER MEANINGS

2. In programming, a string data type whose allocated memory grows or shrinks as needed.

Unlike a fixed-length string, a variable-length string adjusts its memory when characters are added.

3. A text field in a database that can hold up to a specified maximum number of characters.

The table column was defined as a variable-length string with a limit of 255 characters.

4. Any sequence of characters whose count is not predetermined at compile time.

The parser reads a variable-length string until it encounters a newline character.