Manifest constants using 'manifest' keyword?

[Derek Parnell]

On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:01:08 +0200, Matti Niemenmaa wrote:

> Jérôme M. Berger wrote:
>> Matti Niemenmaa wrote:
>>> Derek Parnell wrote:
>>>> Until one gets to know what it means, "manifest" looks like a noun
>>>> rather than an adjective. I can just see newbies saying things like ...
>>>> "what is a 'manifest'" when confronted with stuff like ...
>>>>
>>>> manifest 
>>>> {
>>>>    int Foo;
>>>>    long Bar;
>>>> }
>>> Alright, I'll bite. What /is/ manifest meant to mean here?
>> 
>> 	I'd bet for a compilation error ;)
> 
> That wasn't my point. I get the semantics, I want to understand what the word
> itself means.
> 
> "const" -> a constant, i.e. something you can't write to. Fine, though it's not
> necessarily "constant" per se.
> "manifest" -> a manifest constant. What's a manifest constant? A compile-time
> constant. Why isn't it called "compiletime" then? What's with the word "manifest"?

The adjective 'manifest' in this context means "something whose purpose or
meaning is self-evident". It is a fairly obscure usage of English and not
many native-English speakers would use the term except in academic circles.
It is certainly not in common usage by the average man-in-the-street.

-- 
Derek Parnell
Melbourne, Australia
skype: derek.j.parnell