Difference Between an Argument and a Parameter
It is very common in the programming world for the terms argument and parameter to be used to convey the same meaning. Technically, however, there is a distinct difference between the two.
When a function is defined, the expected variables are listed in parentheses. These are parameters.
For example:
function GetSquarePerimeter(sideLength)
{
return 4*sideLength;
}
In the preceding example, sideLength is a parameter of the Square function.
When a function is called, there is a list of variables that are passed to the function. The evaluation of these variables results in values that are passed to the function. These are arguments.
For example:
var intSideLength = 4;
var intPerimeter = GetSquarePerimeter(intSideLength);
At runtime, when the intSideLength variable is evaluated to 4, it is an argument to the GetSquarePerimeter function call.
Tags: arguments, parameters