Handler local variables are now have lexical scope. This means variables are accessible from the point of definition to the end of the block they are defined in. Note that:

• each repeat control structure is considered a single block.

• each separate block in an if/else if/else control structure is considered a single block.

Variables are now reset (either to their default value, or unassigned) at the point of the variable definition. In particular, any variables defined within a repeat block are reset on each iteration:

repeat 5 times
   variable tVar as optional String
   -- tVar is reset to "nothing" every time the loop runs
end repeat

Variables in an inner block can now shadow those in an outer block. For example, the following is valid:

variable tX as Array
repeat 5 times
   variable tX as Number
   repeat 4 times
      variable tX as String
   end repeat
end repeat