CODEWITHSUNDEEP
genericskotlinterminology
rwallace
rwallace

Reputation: 33395

Terminology for a generic type with type parameter filled in

What is the correct terminology for a generic type with type parameter filled in? It's a very common construct; I'm surprised to realize I'm not sure exactly what it should be called.

Put another way:

If square is a function, then square(2) is a function call.

If List is a generic type, then List<Int> is a...?

(I'm working in Kotlin if it matters, though it seems to me the terminology should probably be the same for many languages that support generics.)

Upvotes: 4

Views: 133

Answers (2)

Davislor
Davislor

Reputation: 15144

In C++, std::vector<int> would be a specialization of std::vector<T>, and std::array<int, N> would be a partial specialization of std::array<T, N>.

These are templates, however. As jaco0646 mentions, languages that use generics (such as Java and Rust) usually call them parameterized.

The closest equivalent in Haskell is typeclasses, and it (sometimes) calls the equivalent of parameterized generic code an instance. (In object-oriented languages, an instance refers to an object of a class, but Haskell does not have classes, so there is no ambiguity.)

Upvotes: 3

jaco0646
jaco0646

Reputation: 17066

In Java,

All types that support parameters are Generic Types.

When coding, one provides type arguments in order to create a parameterized type.

If no type arguments are provided, a raw type is created instead.

Upvotes: 5

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