PRIVATE

    PRIVATE allows you to hide memory variables declared PUBLIC or in
    higher-level procedures from the current and lower-level
    procedures.  PRIVATE can also declare a private array and at the same
    time hide any PUBLIC array or private array of the same name from a
    higher-level procedure.

Syntax

    PRIVATE <memvar list>

Arguments

    <memvar list> is the list of memory variables to hide or arrays to
    declare.  The list can be any combination of memory variables and
    arrays.

Usage

    When a memory variable is declared PRIVATE in a procedure, the existing
    copy is hidden and not accessible until the declaring procedure
    terminates.  PRIVATE, unlike PUBLIC, does not create a logical
    variable.  Instead, the new variable is undefined (TYPE() will return
    "U").  Once created, the scope of the new copy is the current procedure
    and therefore automatically released when the procedure terminates.

    Arrays: In addition to declaring memory variables private, you can
    declare private arrays using the PRIVATE statement.  Declaring an array
    PRIVATE works exactly the same as making any other memory variable
    PRIVATE; PUBLIC arrays and private arrays created in higher-level
    procedures are hidden.  The array declaration using PRIVATE works the
    same as DECLARE with the exception that you can mix array and memory
    variable declarations.  For more information on arrays, see DECLARE.

    Note: The ALL, LIKE, and EXCEPT clauses are not supported in
    Clipper.