Glossary

The following are definitions of terms used across the Dart documentation.

Constant context

A constant context is a region of code in which it isn’t necessary to include the const keyword because it’s implied by the fact that everything in that region is required to be a constant. The following locations are constant contexts:

• Everything inside a list, map or set literal that’s prefixed by the const keyword. Example:

  var l = const [/*constant context*/];
  

• The arguments inside an invocation of a constant constructor. Example:

  var p = const Point(/*constant context*/);
  

• The initializer for a variable that’s prefixed by the const keyword. Example:

  const v = /*constant context*/;
  

• Annotations

• The expression in a case clause. Example:

  void f(int e) {
    switch (e) {
      case /*constant context*/:
        break;
    }
  }
  

Definite assignment

Definite assignment analysis is the process of determining, for each local variable at each point in the code, which of the following is true:

• The variable has definitely been assigned a value (definitely assigned).
• The variable has definitely not been assigned a value (definitely unassigned).
• The variable might or might not have been assigned a value, depending on the execution path taken to arrive at that point.

Definite assignment analysis helps find problems in code, such as places where a variable that might not have been assigned a value is being referenced, or places where a variable that can only be assigned a value one time is being assigned after it might already have been assigned a value.

For example, in the following code the variable s is definitely unassigned when it’s passed as an argument to print:

void f() {
  String s;
  print(s);
}

But in the following code, the variable s is definitely assigned:

void f(String name) {
  String s = 'Hello $name!';
  print(s);
}

Definite assignment analysis can even tell whether a variable is definitely assigned (or unassigned) when there are multiple possible execution paths. In the following code the print function is called if execution goes through either the true or the false branch of the if statement, but because s is assigned no matter which branch is taken, it’s definitely assigned before it’s passed to print:

void f(String name, bool casual) {
  String s;
  if (casual) {
    s = 'Hi $name!';
  } else {
    s = 'Hello $name!';
  }
  print(s);
}

In flow analysis, the end of the if statement is referred to as a join—a place where two or more execution paths merge back together. Where there’s a join, the analysis says that a variable is definitely assigned if it’s definitely assigned along all of the paths that are merging, and definitely unassigned if it’s definitely unassigned along all of the paths.

Sometimes a variable is assigned a value on one path but not on another, in which case the variable might or might not have been assigned a value. In the following example, the true branch of the if statement might or might not be executed, so the variable might or might be assigned a value:

void f(String name, bool casual) {
  String s;
  if (casual) {
    s = 'Hi $name!';
  }
  print(s);
}

The same is true if there is a false branch that doesn’t assign a value to s.

The analysis of loops is a little more complicated, but it follows the same basic reasoning. For example, the condition in a while loop is always executed, but the body might or might not be. So just like an if statement, there’s a join at the end of the while statement between the path in which the condition is true and the path in which the condition is false.

For additional details, see the specification of definite assignment.

Irrefutable pattern

Irrefutable patterns are patterns that always match. Irrefutable patterns are the only patterns that can appear in irrefutable contexts: the declaration and assignment pattern contexts.

Mixin application

A mixin application is the class created when a mixin is applied to a class. For example, consider the following declarations:

class A {}

mixin M {}

class B extends A with M {}

The class B is a subclass of the mixin application of M to A, sometimes nomenclated as A+M. The class A+M is a subclass of A and has members that are copied from M.

You can give an actual name to a mixin application by defining it as:

class A {}

mixin M {}

class A_M = A with M;

Given this declaration of A_M, the following declaration of B is equivalent to the declaration of B in the original example:

class B extends A_M {}

Override inference

Override inference is the process by which any missing types in a method declaration are inferred based on the corresponding types from the method or methods that it overrides.

If a candidate method (the method that’s missing type information) overrides a single inherited method, then the corresponding types from the overridden method are inferred. For example, consider the following code:

class A {
  int m(String s) => 0;
}

class B extends A {
  @override
  m(s) => 1;
}

The declaration of m in B is a candidate because it’s missing both the return type and the parameter type. Because it overrides a single method (the method m in A), the types from the overridden method will be used to infer the missing types and it will be as if the method in B had been declared as int m(String s) => 1;.

If a candidate method overrides multiple methods, and the function type one of those overridden methods, M_s, is a supertype of the function types of all of the other overridden methods, then M_s is used to infer the missing types. For example, consider the following code:

class A {
  int m(num n) => 0;
}

class B {
  num m(int i) => 0;
}

class C implements A, B {
  @override
  m(n) => 1;
}

The declaration of m in C is a candidate for override inference because it’s missing both the return type and the parameter type. It overrides both m in A and m in B, so we need to choose one of them from which the missing types can be inferred. But because the function type of m in A (int Function(num)) is a supertype of the function type of m in B (num Function(int)), the function in A is used to infer the missing types. The result is the same as declaring the method in C as int m(num n) => 1;.

It is an error if none of the overridden methods has a function type that is a supertype of all the other overridden methods.

Part file

A part file is a Dart source file that contains a part of directive. For usage guidance, visit the Effective Dart entry.

Potentially non-nullable

A type is potentially non-nullable if it’s either explicitly non-nullable or if it’s a type parameter.

A type is explicitly non-nullable if it is a type name that isn’t followed by a question mark. Note that there are a few types that are always nullable, such as Null and dynamic, and that FutureOr is only non-nullable if it isn’t followed by a question mark and the type argument is non-nullable (such as FutureOr<String>).

Type parameters are potentially non-nullable because the actual runtime type (the type specified as a type argument) might be non-nullable. For example, given a declaration of class C<T> {}, the type C could be used with a non-nullable type argument as in C<int>.

Public library

A public library is a library that is located inside the package’s lib directory but not inside the lib/src directory.

Refutable pattern

A refutable pattern is a pattern that can be tested against a value to determine if the pattern matches the value. If not, the pattern refutes, or denies, the match. Refutable patterns appear in matching contexts.