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delimiters in programming

Summarize in 3 paragraphs. Put a section heading for each paragraph. You MUST put double square brackets around each computer buzzword or jargon or technical words. Answer in MediaWiki syntax.

Delimiters in programming are characters or sequences of characters used to mark boundaries or separate different elements within code. These elements can include statements, expressions, data structures, or symbols, among others. Delimiters serve as important indicators to both programmers and interpreters or compilers, helping to define the structure and syntax of a programming language. Common delimiters in programming languages include parentheses, brackets, braces, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and indentation.

Delimiters play a crucial role in defining the syntax and structure of code in programming languages. They help establish the beginning and end of code blocks, function parameters, array or list elements, and other constructs within a program. Proper use of delimiters ensures clarity and readability of code, making it easier for developers to understand and maintain. Additionally, delimiters aid in error detection and prevention by indicating syntax errors or mismatches, thereby facilitating debugging and troubleshooting processes.

There is a wide variety of delimiters used across different programming languages, each serving specific purposes within their respective syntax rules. For example, in languages like C and Java, curly braces ({}) are commonly used to delineate code blocks and function bodies. In Python, indentation serves as a delimiter to denote the beginning and end of code blocks, eliminating the need for explicit braces. Similarly, parentheses are used to enclose function arguments or mathematical expressions in many programming languages, ensuring precedence and clarity in code execution. Understanding the conventions and rules regarding delimiters is essential for effectively writing and interpreting code in any programming language.

Also thought of as separated by

Snippet from Wikipedia: Delimiter

A delimiter is a sequence of one or more characters for specifying the boundary between separate, independent regions in plain text, mathematical expressions or other data streams. An example of a delimiter is the comma character, which acts as a field delimiter in a sequence of comma-separated values. Another example of a delimiter is the time gap used to separate letters and words in the transmission of Morse code.

In mathematics, delimiters are often used to specify the scope of an operation, and can occur both as isolated symbols (e.g., colon in "${\displaystyle 1:4}$") and as a pair of opposing-looking symbols (e.g., angled brackets in ${\displaystyle \langle a,b\rangle }$).

Delimiters represent one of various means of specifying boundaries in a data stream. Declarative notation, for example, is an alternate method (without the use of delimiters) that uses a length field at the start of a data stream to specify the number of characters that the data stream contains.

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