C++ – Understanding Definitions, Declarations, and Assignments

c++declareterminologyvariable-assignment

I tend to use the words define, declare and assign interchangeably but this seems to cause offense to some people. Is this justified? Should I only use the word declare for the first time I assign to a variable? Or is there more to it than that?

Best Answer

A definition is where a value or function is described, i.e. the compiler or programmer is told precisely what it is, e.g.

int foo()
{
  return 1;
}

int var; // or, e.g. int var = 5; but this is clearer.

A declaration tells the compiler, or programmer that the function or variable exists. e.g.

int foo();
extern int var;

An assignment is when a variable has its value set, usually with the = operator. e.g.

a = b;
a = foo();

Related Solutions

C++ – Difference Between Definition and Declaration

A declaration introduces an identifier and describes its type, be it a type, object, or function. A declaration is what the compiler needs to accept references to that identifier. These are declarations:

extern int bar;
extern int g(int, int);
double f(int, double); // extern can be omitted for function declarations
class foo; // no extern allowed for type declarations

A definition actually instantiates/implements this identifier. It's what the linker needs in order to link references to those entities. These are definitions corresponding to the above declarations:

int bar;
int g(int lhs, int rhs) {return lhs*rhs;}
double f(int i, double d) {return i+d;}
class foo {};

A definition can be used in the place of a declaration.

An identifier can be declared as often as you want. Thus, the following is legal in C and C++:

double f(int, double);
double f(int, double);
extern double f(int, double); // the same as the two above
extern double f(int, double);

However, it must be defined exactly once. If you forget to define something that's been declared and referenced somewhere, then the linker doesn't know what to link references to and complains about a missing symbols. If you define something more than once, then the linker doesn't know which of the definitions to link references to and complains about duplicated symbols.

Since the debate what is a class declaration vs. a class definition in C++ keeps coming up (in answers and comments to other questions) , I'll paste a quote from the C++ standard here.
At 3.1/2, C++03 says:

A declaration is a definition unless it [...] is a class name declaration [...].

3.1/3 then gives a few examples. Amongst them:

[Example: [...]
struct S { int a; int b; }; // defines S, S::a, and S::b [...]
struct S; // declares S
—end example

To sum it up: The C++ standard considers struct x; to be a declaration and struct x {}; a definition. (In other words, "forward declaration" a misnomer, since there are no other forms of class declarations in C++.)

Thanks to litb (Johannes Schaub) who dug out the actual chapter and verse in one of his answers.

C++ – Difference Between Declaration, Definition, and Initialization of a Variable

Declaration

Declaration, generally, refers to the introduction of a new name in the program. For example, you can declare a new function by describing it's "signature":

void xyz();

or declare an incomplete type:

class klass;
struct ztruct;

and last but not least, to declare an object:

int x;

It is described, in the C++ standard, at §3.1/1 as:

A declaration (Clause 7) may introduce one or more names into a translation unit or redeclare names introduced by previous declarations.

Definition

A definition is a definition of a previously declared name (or it can be both definition and declaration). For example:

int x;
void xyz() {...}
class klass {...};
struct ztruct {...};
enum { x, y, z };

Specifically the C++ standard defines it, at §3.1/1, as:

A declaration is a definition unless it declares a function without specifying the function’s body (8.4), it contains the extern specifier (7.1.1) or a linkage-specification25 (7.5) and neither an initializer nor a function- body, it declares a static data member in a class definition (9.2, 9.4), it is a class name declaration (9.1), it is an opaque-enum-declaration (7.2), it is a template-parameter (14.1), it is a parameter-declaration (8.3.5) in a function declarator that is not the declarator of a function-definition, or it is a typedef declaration (7.1.3), an alias-declaration (7.1.3), a using-declaration (7.3.3), a static_assert-declaration (Clause 7), an attribute- declaration (Clause 7), an empty-declaration (Clause 7), or a using-directive (7.3.4).

Initialization

Initialization refers to the "assignment" of a value, at construction time. For a generic object of type T, it's often in the form:

T x = i;

but in C++ it can be:

T x(i);

or even:

T x {i};

with C++11.

Conclusion

So does it mean definition equals declaration plus initialization?

It depends. On what you are talking about. If you are talking about an object, for example:

int x;

This is a definition without initialization. The following, instead, is a definition with initialization:

int x = 0;

In certain context, it doesn't make sense to talk about "initialization", "definition" and "declaration". If you are talking about a function, for example, initialization does not mean much.

So, the answer is no: definition does not automatically mean declaration plus initialization.