Name mangling in programming refers to the process where a compiler alters the names of functions, variables, or objects to include extra information. This ensures that similar names can coexist without conflicts, especially when using features like function overloading or namespaces.

What Is Name Mangling?

In languages like C++ or Swift, name mangling happens during compilation. The compiler encodes details such as namespaces, classes, and parameter types into function or variable names. 

This makes each symbol unique in the compiled binary, even if multiple functions share the same base name in the source code.

Key Characteristics of Name Mangling

The name mangling process is essential for managing complexity in modern programming languages. Its key characteristics include:

• Uniqueness: Each function or object gets a unique identifier, preventing collisions in the compiled code.
• Language-specific encoding: Different compilers or languages apply their own mangling schemes, which are not always compatible with one another.

Together, these features allow advanced language features like inheritance or polymorphism to work behind the scenes.

Why Name Mangling Matters

Without name mangling, compilers would struggle to distinguish between functions that share the same name but differ in parameters. This would make linking and debugging much harder. By encoding extra details into symbol names, name mangling ensures that code linking remains reliable.

FAQs about Name Mangling

What is an example of name mangling in C++?

In C++, if you overload a function like void print(int) and void print(double), the compiler renames them internally to unique identifiers such as _Z5printi and _Z5printd so they can coexist without conflict.

Why is name mangling needed?

Name mangling is needed to support advanced features like function overloading, namespaces, and class scoping. Without it, the linker couldn’t distinguish between multiple functions that share the same name.

How can I avoid name mangling in C++?

You can disable name mangling by using extern “C”. This tells the compiler to use C-style naming conventions, which is useful when integrating C++ code with C libraries or other languages.