Literalwert

Literalwert is a German term that translates to "literal value" in English. It refers to a fixed, directly expressed value within a computer program's source code. This is in contrast to a variable, which holds a value that can change during program execution. Literal values are constants that are written directly into the code itself.

Examples of literal values include numbers such as 10, 3.14, or -5. Textual data is represented by string literals, enclosed in quotation marks, like "Hello, world!" or "example.com". Boolean literal values are typically true or false. Other types of literals exist depending on the programming language, such as character literals (e.g., 'a') or special null/none values.

The primary purpose of literal values is to provide immediate, unambiguous data for operations, assignments, or comparisons within a program. They are fundamental building blocks for writing code, allowing developers to specify concrete data points that the program will operate on or use. Their fixed nature ensures predictability and simplifies the understanding of specific values used at particular points in the code.