I have seen references in code that look like this:

Local lnSomething as Integer

Obviously this tells me that {lnSomething} is an integer, but I knew that because it begins with ln,

So, what is the purpose in doing so? Does VFP use this information in some way?

P.S.: I do understand the use of this structure when it refers to 'as Form', or whatever, just not when it refers to a datatype like String or Integer.