Magic Number (programming)

Magic Number (programming)

In computer programming, the term magic number has multiple meanings. It could refer to one or more of the following:

  • A constant numerical or text value used to identify a file format or protocol; for files, see List of file signatures
  • Distinctive unique values that are unlikely to be mistaken for other meanings (e.g., Globally Unique Identifiers)
  • Unique values with unexplained meaning or multiple occurrences which could (preferably) be replaced with named constants

Read more about Magic Number (programming):  Unnamed Numerical Constants, Magic GUIDs, Magic Debug Values

Famous quotes containing the words magic and/or number:

    “There is no magic decoding ring that will help us read our young adolescent’s feelings. Rather, what we need to do is hold out our antennae in the hope that we’ll pick up the right signals.”
    —The Lions Clubs International and the Quest Nation. The Surprising Years, III, ch.4 (1985)

    “At thirty years a woman asks her lover to give her back the esteem she has forfeited for his sake; she lives only for him, her thoughts are full of his future, he must have a great career, she bids him make it glorious; she can obey, entreat, command, humble herself, or rise in pride; times without number she brings comfort when a young girl can only make moan.”
    —HonorĂ© De Balzac (1799–1850)