Identifier

An identifier is a name (or compound name) pointing to an entity. It is an error to have a name that does not point to an entity. See scoping for a discussion about entities.

• Keyword ``var´´ is an explicit variable declaration modifier. It is a signal that a variable with a given name should be created with a local scope (function or scope), instead of referring to some previously declared entity outside the local scope.
• Keyword ``module´´ escapes reference to the scope of an enclosing module. The name of the module can also be used.
• Keyword ``static´´ returns the reference to system namespace "static", if that is declared in the servers configuration.
• Keyword ``this´´ returns an instance of the current enclosing class.
• Keyword ``this´´ may also appear inside identifiers as it is used when referring to an instance of an enclosing class with ``classname.this´´.
• Keyword ``super´´ is used to invoke super class methods and constructor, and when accessing a super class member variable (although they cannot become hidden).
• Keyword ``class´´ (unless last) returns the type handle for the current enclosing class.
• If keyword ``class´´ is used as the last element in an identifier, it returns the anvil.runtime.Type of the referenced entity.
• Keyword ``class´´ yields the type of left side expression as anvil.runtime.Type.
• Keyword ``sizeof´´ yields the logical size of left side expresion.
• Keyword ``copyof´´ yields deep copy of left side expression.
• Keyword ``cloneof´´ yields shallow copy of left side expression.

  identifier :=  
    [ "var" ] 
    [ symbol | "module" | "class" | "static" | "this" | "super" ] 
    ( "." ( symbol | "this" ) ) * 
    [ "." ( "class"  
          | "sizeof" 
          | "copyof" 
          | "cloneof" ) 
    ] 

Values returned by entities
Entity	Returned value
module	anvil.runtime.Scope
class	anvil.runtime.Type
interface	anvil.runtime.Type
namespace	anvil.runtime.Scope
system namespace	anvil.runtime.Namespace
import	anvil.runtime.Scope
library	anvil.runtime.Scope
function	anvil.runtime.Function (*)
method	anvil.runtime.Function (*)
constructor	anvil.runtime.Function
constant variable	Contained value
module variable	Contained value
member variable	Contained value
parameter	Contained value
local variable	Contained value

(*) If callable is modified by parameter list, it is a [NOT FOUND: accessors/calls]call. Other entity references can also be modified with a parameter list, but in that case the construct is a call emulation.

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