class invariant

English

Noun

class invariant (plural class invariants)

1. (object-oriented programming) An invariant used to constrain objects of a class that is preserved by class methods and that constrains the state stored in the object.

   Synonym: (more generally) type invariant

   • 2000, Meilir Page-Jones, Fundamentals of Object-oriented Design in UML, Addison-Wesley Professional, →ISBN, page 272:

     Every object of a given class must satisfy the class's invariant. This invariant acts as a constraint, limiting the size of the class's state-space. A subclass both inherits the class invariant(s) of its superclass(es) and adds a further restriction of its own.

See also

• design by contract