yap-6.3/Logtalk/manuals/glossary.html

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<h1><a class="back" title="Return to index" href="index.html#glossary">Glossary</a></h1>
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<dl>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="ancestor">ancestor</a></dt>
<dd>A class or parent that contributes (via inheritance) to the definition of an object. The ancestors of an object are its class and all the superclasses of its class (in class-based hierarchies) or its parent and the ancestors of its parent (in prototype-based hierarchies).</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="category">category</a></dt>
<dd>A set of predicates directives and clauses that can be imported by any object.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="class">class</a></dt>
<dd>An object that defines the common predicates of a set of objects (its instances).</dd>

<dd><dl>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="abstractclass">abstract class</a></dt>
<dd>A class that can not be instantiated. Usually used to store common predicates that are inherited by other classes.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="metaclass">metaclass</a></dt>
<dd>The class of a class, when we see it as an object. Metaclass instances are themselves classes. In a reflexive system any metaclass is also an object.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="subclass">subclass</a></dt>
<dd>A class that is a specialization, direct or indirectly, of another class.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="superclass">superclass</a></dt>
<dd>A class from each another class is a specialization (direct or indirectly, via another class).</dd>

</dl></dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="directive">directive</a></dt>
<dd>A Prolog term that affects the interpretation of Prolog code. Directives are represented using the <code>:-/1</code> prefix functor.</dd>

<dd><dl>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="entity_directive">entity directive</a></dt>
<dd>A directive that affects how Logtalk entities (objects, protocols, or categories) are used or compiled.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="predicate_directive">predicate directive</a></dt>
<dd>A directive that affects how predicates are called or compiled.</dd>

</dl></dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="encapsulation">encapsulation</a></dt>
<dd>The hiding of an object implementation. This promotes software reuse by isolating users from implementation details.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="entity">entity</a></dt>
<dd>Generic name for Logtalk compilation units: objects, categories and protocols.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="event">event</a></dt>
<dd>The sending of a message to an object. An event can be expressed as an ordered tuple: <code>(Event, Object, Message, Sender)</code>. Logtalk distinguish between the sending of a message - <code>before</code> event - and the return of control to the sender - <code>after</code> event.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="identity">identity</a></dt>
<dd>Property of an entity that distinguish it from every other entity. In Logtalk an entity identity can be an atom or a compound term. All Logtalk entities, objects, protocols and categories share the same name space.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="inheritance">inheritance</a></dt>
<dd>An object inherits predicate directives and clauses from other objects that it extends or specializes. If an object extends other object then we have a prototype-based inheritance. If an object specializes or instantiates another object we have a class-based inheritance.</dd>

<dd><dl>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="private_inheritance">private inheritance</a></dt>
<dd>All public and protected predicates are inherited as private predicates.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="protected_inheritance">protected inheritance</a></dt>
<dd>All public predicates are inherited as protected. No change for protected or private predicates.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="public_inheritance">public inheritance</a></dt>
<dd>All inherited predicates maintain the declared scope.</dd>

</dl></dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="instance">instance</a></dt>
<dd>The same as object. This term is used when we want to emphasize that an object characteristics are defined by another object (its class).</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="instantiation">instantiation</a></dt>
<dd>The process of creating a new class instance.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="message">message</a></dt>
<dd>A request for a service, sent to an object. In more logical terms, a message can be seen as a request for proof construction using an object's predicates.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="metainterpreter">metainterpreter</a></dt>
<dd>A program capable of running and modifying other programs written in the same language.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="method">method</a></dt>
<dd>Set of predicate clauses used to answer a message sent to an object. Logtalk uses dynamic binding to find which method to run to answer a message.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="monitor">monitor</a></dt>
<dd>Any object that is notified when a spied event occurs. The spied events can be set by the monitor or by any other object.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="object">object</a></dt>
<dd>An entity characterized by an identity and a set of predicate directives and clauses. In Logtalk objects can be either static or dynamic, like any other Prolog code.</dd>

<dd><dl>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="parametric">parametric object</a></dt>
<dd>An object whose name is a compound term containing free variables that can be used to parameterize the object predicates.</dd>

</dl></dd>


<dt class="glossary"><a name="parent">parent</a></dt>
<dd>An object that is extended by another object.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="predicate">predicate</a></dt>
<dd>Predicates describe what is true about the application domain. A predicate is identified by its name and number of arguments using the notation <CODE>&lt;name&gt;/&lt;nargs&gt;</CODE>.</dd>

<dd><dl>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="local_predicate">local predicate</a></dt>
<dd>A predicate that is defined in an object (or in a category) but that is not listed in a scope directive. These predicates behave like private predicates but are invisible to the reflection methods.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="metapredicate">metapredicate</a></dt>
<dd>A predicate where one of its arguments will be called as a goal. For instance, <code>findall/3</code> and <code>call/1</code> are Prolog built-ins metapredicates.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="private_predicate">private predicate</a></dt>
<dd>A predicate that can only be called from the object that contains the scope directive.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="protected_predicate">protected predicate</a></dt>
<dd>A predicate that can only be called from the object containing the scope directive or from an object that inherits the predicate.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="public_predicate">public predicate</a></dt>
<dd>A predicate that can be called from any object.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="visible_predicate">visible predicate</a></dt>
<dd>A predicate that is declared for an object, a built-in method, or a Prolog or Logtalk built-in predicate.</dd>

</dl></dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="profiler">profiler</a></dt>
<dd>A program that collects data about other program performance.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="protocol">protocol</a></dt>
<dd>A set of predicates directives that can be implemented by an object or a category (or extended by another protocol).</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="protocol">prototype</a></dt>
<dd>A self-describing object that may extend or be extended by other objects.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="self">self</a></dt>
<dd>The original object that received the message under execution.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="sender">sender</a></dt>
<dd>An object that sends a message to other object.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="specialization">specialization</a></dt>
<dd>A class is specialized by constructing a new class that inherit its predicates and possibly add new ones.</dd>

<dt class="glossary"><a name="this">this</a></dt>
<dd>The object that contains the predicate clause under execution.</dd>

</dl>

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Last updated on: July 29, 2002
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Logtalk release 2.14.1 files. git-svn-id: https://yap.svn.sf.net/svnroot/yap/trunk@561 b08c6af1-5177-4d33-ba66-4b1c6b8b522a 2002-08-01 00:34:42 +01:00			`<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css" type="text/css" />`
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			`<h1><a class="back" title="Return to index" href="index.html#glossary">Glossary</a></h1>`
			`<hr />`

			`<dl>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="ancestor">ancestor</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A class or parent that contributes (via inheritance) to the definition of an object. The ancestors of an object are its class and all the superclasses of its class (in class-based hierarchies) or its parent and the ancestors of its parent (in prototype-based hierarchies).</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="category">category</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A set of predicates directives and clauses that can be imported by any object.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="class">class</a></dt>`
			`<dd>An object that defines the common predicates of a set of objects (its instances).</dd>`

			`<dd><dl>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="abstractclass">abstract class</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A class that can not be instantiated. Usually used to store common predicates that are inherited by other classes.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="metaclass">metaclass</a></dt>`
			`<dd>The class of a class, when we see it as an object. Metaclass instances are themselves classes. In a reflexive system any metaclass is also an object.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="subclass">subclass</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A class that is a specialization, direct or indirectly, of another class.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="superclass">superclass</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A class from each another class is a specialization (direct or indirectly, via another class).</dd>`

			`</dl></dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="directive">directive</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A Prolog term that affects the interpretation of Prolog code. Directives are represented using the <code>:-/1</code> prefix functor.</dd>`

			`<dd><dl>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="entity_directive">entity directive</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A directive that affects how Logtalk entities (objects, protocols, or categories) are used or compiled.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="predicate_directive">predicate directive</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A directive that affects how predicates are called or compiled.</dd>`

			`</dl></dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="encapsulation">encapsulation</a></dt>`
			`<dd>The hiding of an object implementation. This promotes software reuse by isolating users from implementation details.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="entity">entity</a></dt>`
			`<dd>Generic name for Logtalk compilation units: objects, categories and protocols.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="event">event</a></dt>`
			`<dd>The sending of a message to an object. An event can be expressed as an ordered tuple: <code>(Event, Object, Message, Sender)</code>. Logtalk distinguish between the sending of a message - <code>before</code> event - and the return of control to the sender - <code>after</code> event.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="identity">identity</a></dt>`
			`<dd>Property of an entity that distinguish it from every other entity. In Logtalk an entity identity can be an atom or a compound term. All Logtalk entities, objects, protocols and categories share the same name space.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="inheritance">inheritance</a></dt>`
			`<dd>An object inherits predicate directives and clauses from other objects that it extends or specializes. If an object extends other object then we have a prototype-based inheritance. If an object specializes or instantiates another object we have a class-based inheritance.</dd>`

			`<dd><dl>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="private_inheritance">private inheritance</a></dt>`
			`<dd>All public and protected predicates are inherited as private predicates.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="protected_inheritance">protected inheritance</a></dt>`
			`<dd>All public predicates are inherited as protected. No change for protected or private predicates.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="public_inheritance">public inheritance</a></dt>`
			`<dd>All inherited predicates maintain the declared scope.</dd>`

			`</dl></dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="instance">instance</a></dt>`
			`<dd>The same as object. This term is used when we want to emphasize that an object characteristics are defined by another object (its class).</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="instantiation">instantiation</a></dt>`
			`<dd>The process of creating a new class instance.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="message">message</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A request for a service, sent to an object. In more logical terms, a message can be seen as a request for proof construction using an object's predicates.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="metainterpreter">metainterpreter</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A program capable of running and modifying other programs written in the same language.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="method">method</a></dt>`
			`<dd>Set of predicate clauses used to answer a message sent to an object. Logtalk uses dynamic binding to find which method to run to answer a message.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="monitor">monitor</a></dt>`
			`<dd>Any object that is notified when a spied event occurs. The spied events can be set by the monitor or by any other object.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="object">object</a></dt>`
			`<dd>An entity characterized by an identity and a set of predicate directives and clauses. In Logtalk objects can be either static or dynamic, like any other Prolog code.</dd>`

			`<dd><dl>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="parametric">parametric object</a></dt>`
			`<dd>An object whose name is a compound term containing free variables that can be used to parameterize the object predicates.</dd>`

			`</dl></dd>`


			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="parent">parent</a></dt>`
			`<dd>An object that is extended by another object.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="predicate">predicate</a></dt>`
			`<dd>Predicates describe what is true about the application domain. A predicate is identified by its name and number of arguments using the notation <CODE><name>/<nargs></CODE>.</dd>`

			`<dd><dl>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="local_predicate">local predicate</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A predicate that is defined in an object (or in a category) but that is not listed in a scope directive. These predicates behave like private predicates but are invisible to the reflection methods.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="metapredicate">metapredicate</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A predicate where one of its arguments will be called as a goal. For instance, <code>findall/3</code> and <code>call/1</code> are Prolog built-ins metapredicates.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="private_predicate">private predicate</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A predicate that can only be called from the object that contains the scope directive.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="protected_predicate">protected predicate</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A predicate that can only be called from the object containing the scope directive or from an object that inherits the predicate.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="public_predicate">public predicate</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A predicate that can be called from any object.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="visible_predicate">visible predicate</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A predicate that is declared for an object, a built-in method, or a Prolog or Logtalk built-in predicate.</dd>`

			`</dl></dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="profiler">profiler</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A program that collects data about other program performance.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="protocol">protocol</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A set of predicates directives that can be implemented by an object or a category (or extended by another protocol).</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="protocol">prototype</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A self-describing object that may extend or be extended by other objects.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="self">self</a></dt>`
			`<dd>The original object that received the message under execution.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="sender">sender</a></dt>`
			`<dd>An object that sends a message to other object.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="specialization">specialization</a></dt>`
			`<dd>A class is specialized by constructing a new class that inherit its predicates and possibly add new ones.</dd>`

			`<dt class="glossary"><a name="this">this</a></dt>`
			`<dd>The object that contains the predicate clause under execution.</dd>`

			`</dl>`

			`<hr />`
			`<p class="center">`
Logtalk release 2.14.1 files. git-svn-id: https://yap.svn.sf.net/svnroot/yap/trunk@561 b08c6af1-5177-4d33-ba66-4b1c6b8b522a 2002-08-01 00:34:42 +01:00			`<strong><a href="userman/index.html">User manual</a> \| <a href="refman/index.html">Reference manual</a> \| <a href="tutorial/index.html">Tutorial</a> \| <a href="bibliography.html">Bibliography</a></strong>`
Include Paulo Moura's Logtalk OO LP system git-svn-id: https://yap.svn.sf.net/svnroot/yap/trunk@53 b08c6af1-5177-4d33-ba66-4b1c6b8b522a 2001-06-06 20:40:57 +01:00			`</p>`
			`<p class="center">`
Logtalk release 2.14.1 files. git-svn-id: https://yap.svn.sf.net/svnroot/yap/trunk@561 b08c6af1-5177-4d33-ba66-4b1c6b8b522a 2002-08-01 00:34:42 +01:00			`Last updated on: July 29, 2002`
Include Paulo Moura's Logtalk OO LP system git-svn-id: https://yap.svn.sf.net/svnroot/yap/trunk@53 b08c6af1-5177-4d33-ba66-4b1c6b8b522a 2001-06-06 20:40:57 +01:00			`</p>`
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