What kind of prefix do you use for member variables?

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No doubt, it’s essential for understanding code to give member variables a prefix so that they can easily be distinguished from “normal” variables.

I dispute this claim. It’s not the least bit necessary if you have half-decent syntax highlighting. A good IDE can let you write your code in readable English, and can show you the type and scope of a symbol other ways. Eclipse does a good job by highlighting declarations and uses of a symbol when the insertion point is on one of them.

Edit, thanks slim: A good syntax highlighter like Eclipse will also let you use bold or italic text, or change fonts altogether. For instance, I like italics for static things.

Another edit: Think of it this way; the type and scope of a variable are secondary information. It should be available and easy to find out, but not shouted at you. If you use prefixes like m_ or types like LPCSTR, that becomes noise, when you just want to read the primary information – the intent of the code.

Third edit: This applies regardless of language.

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