Q36737: Longer Variable Names Take No Extra Space in .EXE Program

Article: Q36737
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 1.00 1.01 1.02 2.00 2.01 3.00 4.00 4.00b 4.50
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | B_BasicCom | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 28-DEC-1989

In programs compiled by BC.EXE, you will not change the generated code
size by using shorter variable names instead of longer ones. The
generated .OBJ and .EXE file sizes are independent of the length of
variable names.

Although BC.EXE uses variable names at compile time to allocate memory
and translate BASIC statements to machine code, these symbolic names
are not embedded in the code produced by the compiler.

This information applies to Microsoft QuickBASIC Versions 1.00, 1.01,
1.02, 2.00, 2.01, 3.00, 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50; to Microsoft BASIC
Compiler Versions 6.00 and 6.00b for MS-DOS and MS OS/2; and to
Microsoft BASIC PDS Version 7.00 for MS-DOS and MS OS/2.

Source code can be much more readable if you use fully-descriptive
names in naming variables. QuickBASIC allows variable names up to 40
characters in length. Consider the following choices of variable
names:

   mfp     versus      MeanFreePath
   n$      versus      LastName$
   vo      versus      Volts
   vl      versus      Volume
   vc      versus      Velocity

The names in the right column generate no more code than those on the
left side.

However, within the QB.EXE program development environment, all text
in the source file occupies memory, including long variable names.

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