A symbol table is a used by a compiler or interpreter, where each identifier (a.k.a. symbol with a name) in a program's source code is associated with information relating to its declaration or appearance in the source.
A symbol table:
// Declare an external function
extern double bar(double x);
// Define a public function
double foo(int count)
{
double sum = 0.0;
// Sum all the values bar(1) to bar(count)
for (int i = 1; i <= count; i++)
sum += bar((double) i);
return sum;
}
A C compiler that parses this code will contain at least the following symbol table entries:
| Symbol name | Type | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| bar | function, double | extern |
| x | double | function parameter |
| foo | function, double | global |
| count | int | function parameter |
| sum | double | block local |
| i | int | for-loop statement |