whole-program variable

noun

UK /həʊl ˈprəʊɡræm ˈveəriəbl/

US /hoʊl ˈproʊɡræm ˈveriəbl/

A box in a computer program that every part of the program can see and use.

The score is stored in a whole-program variable so every screen can show it.

SYNONYMS

global variable program-wide variable shared variable module-level variable

RELATED WORDS

local variable scope namespace declaration state

OTHER MEANINGS

2. A variable declared outside all functions so its lifetime lasts until the program ends.

Declaring the counter as a whole-program variable kept its value between calls.

3. A setting that affects the entire application rather than one function.

The debug flag is a whole-program variable that turns logging on everywhere.

4. In some languages, a variable with file or module scope that is visible across the whole compilation unit.

In C, a static whole-program variable is visible to every function in that file.