Table 5.1 Characteristics of Data Types and Structures

Language-agnostic — this table applies unchanged to Godot.

Skill-code link. No tick boxes live on this page, but the reasoning codes — C629 (outlines), C638 (identifies), C645 (describes), C658 (explains) — draw their "why" from these characteristics. "float: money needs decimal places" is a storage argument; "CSV: rows of identical fields" is a structure argument.

Data type/structure	Input	Storage	Output
Character	Single symbols via keyboard or data files	Numeric codes (e.g. ASCII, Unicode) in memory	Visual symbol representation on screens or printed formats
String	Sequences of symbols via user input or data files	Sequence of character codes in contiguous memory, possibly with length or null terminator	Readable format of characters maintaining original order
Integer	Decimal representation from users or data sources	Binary format in a fixed number of bits	Decimal or other numeral systems for human readability
Floating point	Decimal input with fractional parts	Stored as a base, exponent and sign (e.g. IEEE 754 format)	Decimal or scientific notation respecting precision
Date/time	Various string formats or graphical UI selection	Large integer (timestamp) or separate components (year, month, day, etc.)	Formatted strings according to desired date/time format
One-dimensional array	Sequential or individual inputs at specific indices	Contiguous memory locations maintaining order by index	List or sequence format in a readable layout
Two-dimensional array	Row by row or column by column with two indices	Row-major or column-major order in contiguous memory	Tabular format respecting row and column structure
Record	Separate input for each field with varying types	Aggregates of fields in memory, sequential or aligned	Key-value formatted listing of fields and corresponding values