1. In an electronic device with a computing environment including a language processor, a method of distributing data to called functions in an application within the computing environment, said method comprising: providing with the language processor a specified type of variable, said specified type of variable designating variables referenceable only from within a function; providing, in response to the use of a variable of the specified type by a specific function, the value of said variable most recently set by one of the specific function and a caller of the specific function; creating programmatically with said language processor a shared variable and a local variable in response to a declaration of the variable of the specified type, said shared variable referenceable only from within a function in said application, said local variable visible only within the function in which the declaration appears; assigning programmatically the value of said shared variable to said local variable when said function is entered; returning a value of said shared variable when providing the value of said variable in response to said variable being referenced within the function; and assigning programmatically the value of said local variable to said shared variable when said function returns.