Reflection (computer Programming)
In computer science, reflection is the ability of a computer program to examine (see type introspection) and modify the structure and behavior (specifically the values, meta-data, properties and functions) of an object at runtime.
Reflection is most commonly used in high-level virtual machine programming languages like Smalltalk and scripting languages and also in manifestly typed or statically typed programming languages such as Java, ML, and Haskell.
Read more about Reflection (computer Programming): Historical Background, Uses, Implementation, Examples
Famous quotes containing the word reflection:
“There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge available to us: observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination. Our observation of nature must be diligent, our reflection profound, and our experiments exact. We rarely see these three means combined; and for this reason, creative geniuses are not common.”
—Denis Diderot (1713–1784)