Add glossary entry for dependent,refinement types
diff --git a/doc/glossary.md b/doc/glossary.md index 2d4ab39..a792543 100644 --- a/doc/glossary.md +++ b/doc/glossary.md
@@ -4,6 +4,14 @@ Addition `(x + y)`, multiplication `(x * y)`, etc. +#### Dependent Type + +A type that depends on another value. For example, a variable `n`'s type might +be "the length of `s`", for some other +[slice](/doc/note/slices-arrays-and-tables.md)-typed variable `s`. Dependent +types are *a* way to implement [bounds checking](/doc/note/bounds-checking.md), +but they're not the only way. Wuffs does not use them. + #### Interval Arithmetic See the [interval arithmetic](/doc/note/interval-arithmetic.md) note. @@ -12,10 +20,23 @@ Arithmetic that wraps around at a certain modulus, such as `256` for the `base.u8` type. For example, if `x` is a `base.u8` with value `200`, then `(x + -70)` has value `270`, but `(x ~mod+ 70)` has value `14`. +70)` has value `270` and would overflow, but `(x ~mod+ 70)` has value `14`. + +#### Refinement Type + +A basic type further constrained to a subset of its natural +[range](/doc/note/ranges-and-rects.md). For example, if `x` has type `base.u8[0 +..= 99]` then it is an unsigned 8-bit integer whose value must be less than +`100`. Without the refinement, `x` could be as high as `255`. + +`base.u8[0 ..= 99]` and `base.u32[0 ..= 99]` are two different types. They can +have different run-time representations. + +Non-nullable pointer types can be thought of as a refinement of regular pointer +types, where the refined range excludes the `nullptr` value. #### Saturating Arithmetic Arithmetic that stops at certain bounds, such as `0` and `255` for the `base.u8` type. For example, if `x` is a `base.u8` with value `200`, then `(x + -70)` has value `270`, but `(x ~sat+ 70)` has value `255`. +70)` has value `270` and would overflow, but `(x ~sat+ 70)` has value `255`.