Why use prefixes on member variables in C++ classes

Question

A lot of C++ code uses syntactical conventions for marking up member variables. Common examples include

• m_memberName for public members (where public

Answer 1

I use it because VC++'s Intellisense can't tell when to show private members when accessing out of the class. The only indication is a little "lock" symbol on the field icon in the Intellisense list. It just makes it easier to identify private members(fields) easier. Also a habit from C# to be honest.

class Person {
   std::string m_Name;
public:
   std::string Name() { return m_Name; }
   void SetName(std::string name) { m_Name = name; }
};

int main() {
  Person *p = new Person();
  p->Name(); // valid
  p->m_Name; // invalid, compiler throws error. but intellisense doesn't know this..
  return 1;
}