How can I find out a variables' name size in memory in C++?

Question

I think the title is self-explanatory, but let me repeat so that no misunderstandings are made.

I would like to know whether there is a way of finding out how much space a variables' name takes up in the memory using C++.

Again, I am not talking about the size of a variables' value, but about its' names' size.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Variable names are just to help you, the programmer, remember what the variable is for, and to help the compiler associate different uses of the same variable. With the exception of debugging symbols, they make no appearance in the compiled code.

Answer 2

Every element in the memory consist of two parts - address and value@address. That's what the processor/controller/everything else see.

You can still argue and say:

int a = 5; # How am I not consuming space to write the name 'a' here?
int *p = a; # How am I not consuming space to write *p here. ?

It is all about the benefit of high-level language. Under the name, you are actually claiming stack/heap memory addresses and putting values to the memory under corresponding address. Because you are using high level language, you're using names to remember where is your data in a "human" way as opposed to the processor who remembers in a "machine" way. Under the bonnet, it's all addresses using 1s and 0s and values @ those addresses build with 1s and 0s.