Patrick Kelley 8fd444092b initial
2025-05-07 15:35:15 -04:00

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.. _variables:
=======================
Variables and Constants
=======================
At the global module level, we declare variables with the ``global``
keyword::
[public] global NAME: TYPE [= DEFAULT];
This defines a global variable called ``NAME`` with type ``TYPE``. If the
variable is declared with ``public`` visibility other modules can reference it.
If a default is given, Spicy initializes the global accordingly before any
code executes. Otherwise, the global receives a type-specific default,
typically the type's notion of a null value. As a result, globals are always
initialized to a well-defined value.
As a shortcut, you can skip ``: TYPE`` if the global comes with a
default. Spicy then just applies the expression's type to the global.
We define global constants in a similar way, just replacing ``global``
with ``const``:
.. spicy-code::
const x: uint32 = 42;
const foo = "Foo";
Inside a function, local variables use the same syntax once more, just
prefixed with ``local`` this time:
.. spicy-code::
function f() {
local x: bytes;
local y = "Y";
}
Usual scoping rules apply to locals. Just like globals, locals are
always initialized to a well-defined value: either their default if
given, or the type's null value.
Local variables can also have their visibility limited to a block
enclosed by curly braces:
.. spicy-code::
function f() {
{
local x = "One";
print x;
}
{
local x = "Two";
print x;
}
# Shadowing variables also works
local shadowed = "Outer";
{
local shadowed = "Inner";
print shadowed;
}
print shadowed;
}
The above function would print:
.. code::
One
Two
Inner
Outer