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Table of Contents
Interface (Concept)
Alternative Terms
Definition
An interface defines the interaction between certain modules.
Description
Interface is a very general concept which refers to the interaction points of arbitrary modules:
- The interface of a method is defined by its method signature.
- The interface of a subsystem is defined by the public (facade) classes.
- The interface of a network service is defined by a protocol.
- The interface of a hardware component is defined by pins, wires, signals, protocols, etc.
- A graphical user interface is defined by buttons, menus, text boxes, and other controls.
The interface defines how a module shall be used. There may be ways circumventing the interface and accessing internal parts of a module directly. This should be avoided (IH/E but is sometimes done.
A module can be described as having a provided interface and a required interface.
Examples
Alternative Definitions
See Also
Further Reading
Interface (Language Construct)
Alternative Terms
Definition
An interface
is a language construct of certain object-oriented programming languages resembling an abstract class without any implementation.
Description
Note that in this wiki whenever the language construct is meant (and not the concept) interface
shall be written using a monospace font: interface
vs. interface.