Skip to main content

Identifier expected

Velox reports Identifier expected when the grammar requires a name but the current token cannot be used as one. An identifier names a variable, constant, type, routine, parameter, label, member or other declared item.

Example​

This variable declaration has a type but no name:

var
  : Integer; // Error: Identifier expected

Supply a valid name:

var
  ItemCount: Integer;

A missing member after a period can produce the same diagnostic:

Value := Helper.;          // Incorrect
Value := Helper.Member;    // Correct when Member is exposed

Where the diagnostic is used​

The modified PascalScript compiler emits ecIdentifierExpected from many parsing paths, including:

  • variable, constant, type, routine and parameter declarations;
  • program/unit and label declarations;
  • a member name following .;
  • address/operator forms that require a named target;
  • record/class members and compiler attribute syntax.

The message therefore describes the expected token category, not one particular feature.

Identifier rules and resolution​

The current Velox lexer accepts an ASCII letter (A-Z or a-z) or underscore as the first character, followed by ASCII letters, digits or underscores. Reserved keywords such as begin, end, if and var are tokens in their own right and cannot stand in an ordinary identifier position. Velox script lookup is case-insensitive.

Modern Delphi also permits Unicode identifier characters and an & escape for some keyword-like identifiers. Those extensions are not implemented by the current PascalScript tokeniser; use the narrower Velox form above.

This diagnostic occurs before name resolution. A syntactically valid name that is not declared produces Unknown identifier instead.

Location behaviour​

Velox records the token found where a name was required. The true cause may be an omitted name immediately before that token, or a missing delimiter earlier that moved the parser into a declaration/member context. For example, the displayed colon in var : Integer is not itself invalid; it arrives before the required variable name.

Correction procedure​

  1. Identify which construct owns the reported position.
  2. Add or correct the required name without using a reserved keyword.
  3. Check the token immediately before the location for an extra period, comma or declaration keyword.
  4. If a valid identifier is already visible, inspect the preceding line for a missing semicolon or close delimiter.
  5. Recompile and then address any Unknown identifier or duplicate-name diagnostic separately.

Common causes​

  • Omitting a variable, parameter, type or routine name.
  • Leaving a trailing period in a member expression.
  • Using a reserved word as a name.
  • Starting an identifier with an unsupported character or digit.
  • A malformed prior declaration causing the next token to be read in the wrong context.
  • Unknown identifier — a valid name that cannot be resolved.
  • Duplicate identifier — a name already declared in the relevant scope.
  • Colon (':') expected — the separator after declaration names.

External references​