< programming > The scope of an identifier is the region of a program source within which it represents a certain thing. This usually extends from the place where it is declared to the end of the smallest enclosing block (begin/end or procedure/function body). An inner block may contain a redeclaration of the same identifier in which case the scope of the outer declaration does not include (is "shadowed" or " occlude d" by) the scope of the inner.
See also activation record , dynamic scope , lexical scope .
(1994-11-01)