Binding Time
An initialization topic with far-reaching implications for program maintenance and modifiability is "binding time": the time at which the variable and its value are bound together (Thimbleby 1988). Are they bound together when the code is written? When it is compiled? When it is loaded? When the program is run? Some other time?
It can be to your advantage to use the latest binding time possible. In general, the later you make the binding time, the more flexibility you build into your code. The next example shows binding at the earliest possible time, when the code is written:
Example 10-12. Java Example of a Variable That's Bound at Code-Writing Time
titleBar.color = 0xFF; // 0xFF is hex value for color blue
The value 0xFF is bound to ...
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