Latimer uses lexical (static) scoping to define the visibility of variables. A block is any section of code enclosed in {} braces, and each block introduces a new scope.
Block Scope
Variables declared inside a block are only accessible within that block.
{
int x = 42;
print(x); // OK
}
print(x); // Error: x is not defined in this scope
Each set of braces creates a new scope. This includes function bodies, if statements, loops, and any standalone {} block.
Variable Shadowing
Latimer does not allow variable shadowing. A variable may not be re-declared in the same or an inner scope if it shares the same name as a variable already in scope.
int x = 1;
{
int x = 2; // Error: x is already declared in an outer scope
}
Global Scope
Latimer does not have a special global environment. In many programming languages, global variables are accessible from anywhere in the program. In Latimer, this is not the case—all scopes behave the same, including the top-level scope.