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

Many of those conventions are from a time without sophisticated editors. I would recommend using a proper IDE that allows you to color every kind of variable. Color is by far easier to spot than any prefix.

If you need to get even more detail on a variable any modern IDE should be able to show it to you by moving the caret or cursor over it. And if you use a variable in a wrong way (for instance a pointer with the . operator) you will get an error, anyway.