CamelCase facts for kids
CamelCase (also called camel case or medial capitals) is a way of writing words or phrases. It means that each new word or abbreviation in the phrase starts with a capital letter.
For example, PowerPoint and iPhone are written using CamelCase. Sometimes, like in computer programming, the first letter of the whole phrase might be lowercase, like myVariable.
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Different Ways to Use CamelCase
There are many different names for CamelCase, depending on how it's used. Some common ones include:
- BumpyCaps
- CamelCaps
- CapitalizedWords (often used in Python)
- InterCaps (short for Internal Capitalization)
- mixedCase (when the first letter is lowercase)
- Pascal case (another name for when the first letter is uppercase)
- WikiWord (used in older wikis)
How CamelCase Started
CamelCase has an interesting history, going back a long time before computers.
In Chemistry
The first known use of capital letters in the middle of words was in chemistry. In 1813, a Swedish chemist named Berzelius created a new way to write chemical formulas. He used one or two letters for each chemical element, with the first letter always capitalized.
This made it easy to write formulas like 'NaCl' (for salt) without spaces. You could still read them clearly. This system is still used by chemists today!
Early Use in Brand Names
Later, in the early 1900s, companies started using CamelCase for their brand names and products. It made their names stand out.
Some early examples include:
- DryIce Corporation (1925)
- CinemaScope (1953), a movie format
- ShopKo (1962), a store
- AstroTurf (1967), a type of artificial grass
Becoming Popular with Computers
In the 1980s and 1990s, personal computers became very popular. This helped CamelCase spread even more, especially in the world of computers and technology. Soon, many new business names started using it.
Some well-known examples from this time are:
- PolyGram (1962), a music company
- CompuServe (1977), an online service
- WordStar (1978), a word processing program
- MasterCard (1979), a credit card company
- WordPerfect (1982), another word processing program
- LaserJet (1984), a printer
- PowerPoint (1987), a presentation program
- WorldWideWeb (1990), the first web browser
Later in the 1990s, the internet became very popular. Many companies started using "e" (for electronic) or "i" (for internet or information) as a lowercase prefix. This led to names like Apple's iMac and the eBox computer program.
Where the Name "CamelCase" Came From
For a long time, people just called this way of writing "medial capitals." But in computer communities, new names like "InterCaps" and "CamelCase" started appearing in the 1990s.
The term "CamelCase" was first used in 1995 by a person named Newton Love. He said he called it "HumpyCase" at first because the capital letters looked like humps on a camel. Then he settled on "CamelCase."
How CamelCase is Used Today in Computing
CamelCase is very common in the world of computers and programming.
In Programming
Many computer programming languages use CamelCase for naming things like variables (which store information) or methods (which are like instructions).
For example, in languages like Java and Pascal, it's a common rule to use CamelCase. This helps programmers keep their code neat and easy to understand. Often, rules say whether to use "UpperCamelCase" (like MyVariable) or "lowerCamelCase" (like myVariable) for different things.
In Wiki Links
Some wiki markup languages (the code used to write wiki pages) used to use CamelCase to automatically create links to other pages. For example, if you wrote WikiWord, it would automatically become a link to a page called "WikiWord."
This was used in the very first wiki software, WikiWikiWeb. However, Wikipedia and many other wikis now use square brackets like `this` to make links. This gives more control over how links look.
Other Computer Uses
- File Names: When you can't use spaces in file names (like in some older computer systems), people often use CamelCase. For example, instead of "My Job Resume.pdf", they might write MyJobResume.pdf.
- Social Media: On sites like Twitter that limit how many characters you can use in a message, CamelCase can save space. By writing NoSpacesHere, you use fewer characters than No spaces here.
How CamelCase is Used in Other Languages
CamelCase is also used in natural languages (languages we speak every day) for different reasons.
Special Markings
Sometimes, CamelCase is used in writing or translating languages to show special sounds or markings. For example, in some Tibetan names like rLobsang, the "r" is capitalized to show a special sound that's not a normal letter.
Word Prefixes
In some languages, prefixes are added to words. CamelCase can be used to keep the prefix lowercase and capitalize the main part of the word.
For example, in Irish orthography, i nGaillimh means "in Galway". The "i n" is a prefix, and "Gaillimh" (Galway) is capitalized. Similarly, in Hebrew, biYerushalayim means "in Jerusalem."
This is also seen in some Bantu languages (like kiSwahili for the Swahili language) and some languages of Mexico.
In Abbreviations
Abbreviations for some school degrees often use CamelCase without periods, like PhD or BSc.
In Chinese pinyin (the way Chinese sounds are written using the Latin alphabet), CamelCase is sometimes used for place names. This helps readers see the different parts of the word. For example, Beijing can be written as BeiJing, and Qinhuangdao as QinHuangDao. The number of capital letters matches the number of Chinese characters in the original name.
Showing Respect
In some languages, including English, pronouns (like "You" or "Him") might be capitalized to show respect, especially when talking about God or in formal letters. This capitalization can stay even if the word is part of a longer compound word. For example, in Italian, adorarLo means "adore Him."
Other Uses in German
In German, nouns have a grammatical gender. To include women in job titles, some writers use a capital 'I' in the suffix -in or -innen. For example, MitarbeiterInnen means "co-workers (male or female)," instead of just Mitarbeiter (male co-workers).
German laws and company types are also often shortened using CamelCase. For example, GmbH stands for Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (Company with Limited Liability).
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