variable length
Refers to anything whose length can vary. For example, in databases, a variable-length field is a field that does not have a fixed length. Instead, the field length varies depending on what data is stored in it.
Variable-length fields are useful because they save space. Suppose, for example, that you want to define a NAME field. The length of each NAME field will vary according to the data placed in it. For example, John Smith is 10 characters long, but Thomas Horatio Jefferson is 24 characters long. With fixed-length fields, you would need to define each field to be long enough to hold the longest name. This would be a waste of space for records that had short names. With variable-length fields, the NAME field in each record would be just long enough to hold its data.
The opposite of variable length is fixed length.
Read Also:
- variable-length record
A record that has at least one variable-length field. The length of the entire record, therefore, varies according to what data is placed in the variable-length field.
- variable length subnet mask
Variable Length Subnet Mask, abbreviated as VLSM, is a means to specify a different subnet mask for the same network number on different subnets. With VLSM, a network administrator can use a long mask on networks with few hosts and a short mask on subnets with many hosts. To use VLSM, the routing protocol must […]
- variant
In virus and malware terms, a variant refers to new strains and slightly modified version of malware. Malware is often modified with new variants released to get as much mileage as possible from the original code.
- vector
(1) In computer programming, a one-dimensional array. A vector can also mean a pointer. (2) In computer graphics, a line that is defined by its start and end point.
- Vector Graphics
Same as object-oriented graphics, refers to software and hardware that use geometrical formulas to represent images. The other method for representing graphical images is through bit maps, in which the image is composed of a pattern of dots. This is sometimes called raster graphics. Programs that enable you to create and manipulate vector graphics are […]