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Rules defines the object types as well as their relations. A "rule" links two types together in a type relation. The term "type" denotes the abstract type of an object whereas a "relation" represents the nature of a parental connection between two types.

The terms rule and type are often used interchangeably, for instance, by "defining a type" we actually mean defining a new rule for a type and by "deleting a type" we actually mean removing a given rule. However, the actions are not strictly identical: defining a new rule does not always involve the creation of a new type (while the opposite is true) and the removal of a rule does not always lead to the complete removal of a type.

Relations

In a hierarchical typing system like arKItect, a type has a meaning only in the context of its parent type. For example, Money can be seen as a flow of a Stock Exchange where money is used only to buy or sell stocks, but Money is also a (non-flow) component of an Inheritance. Thus the type Money is in itself neither a component nor a flow, it is one or the other depending on its parent. This is the meaning of type relations.

With respect to the parent type, a type relation can be defined as:

  • An element relation, the child type being a simple component of its parent.
  • A generic flow, either an input or an output or both. However, flow object instances must be defined as either input or output (they cannot be both except in the case of bidirectional flows).
  • A bidirectional flow, both an input and an output.

 

The rules linking types must follow certain guidelines:

  • Type names are unique, consequently different types must have different names.
  • The types can be recursive, directly or indirectly (meaning that a type S can contain the type S).
  • The relations between types are independent, therefore:
    • A type Bottle can have a child type Water as an object (and not as a flow).
    • A type Pipe can have the same child type Water as a flow.

Flow Relations

When a relation is defined as a flow, the direction of the flow is defined when instances of the type within the relation are created.

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Saying that a type is a flow is actually a shortcut, it is the relation of the type with its parent type that is a flow.

 

 

The following pages will show you how to work with types and rules:

 

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