From d4629d4ba482cc33b13b746587d28f09227fc25d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Johannes Pfeifer Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2015 13:02:09 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Add info on allowed variable names to manual Closes #341 --- doc/dynare.texi | 11 +++++++++++ 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+) diff --git a/doc/dynare.texi b/doc/dynare.texi index d661d35b6..8a00cfcc0 100644 --- a/doc/dynare.texi +++ b/doc/dynare.texi @@ -1069,6 +1069,17 @@ extension or if the filename contains a non-alphanumeric character; @node Variable declarations @section Variable declarations +While Dynare allows the user to choose their own variable names, there are some restrictions +to be kept in mind. First, variables and parameters must not have the same name as Dynare commands or +built-in functions. In this respect, Dynare is not case-sensitive. For example, do not use @var{Ln} +or @var{Sigma_e} to name your variable. Not conforming to this rule might yield hard-to-debug +error messages or crashes. Second, to minimize interference with MATLAB or Octave functions that +may be called by Dynare or user-defined steady state files, it is recommended to avoid using the name +of MATLAB functions. In particular when working with steady state files, do not use correctly-spelled greek +names like @var{alpha}, because there are Matlab functions of the same name. Rather go for @var{alppha} or so. +Lastly, please do not name a variable or parameter @var{i}. This may interfere with the imaginary +number @var{i} and the index in many loops. Rather, name investment @var{invest}. + Declarations of variables and parameters are made with the following commands: @deffn Command var @var{VARIABLE_NAME} [$@var{LATEX_NAME}$] [(long_name=@var{QUOTED_STRING})]@dots{};