Abstract Data Types

ADT Specification

• Syntax
  
• Semantics
  
• Restrictions
  

Type implementation: Hardware or Software

Operations: (generic)

• create
  
  • size (static or dynamic)
    
  • shape (linear? hiearchial? circular(queue)? tree?)
    
  • initialization
    
• traversal(tree traversal)
  
• search (true or false)(tree)(Linked List)
  
• sort(algorithm types)
  
• retrieval
  
• updating
  
• merging (sorted data)(merge sort)
  
• reformatting
  
• combining
  

Data type - bindings

• cardinality of data type
  
• kinds of operations
  
• nature of constants required by type
  

Type Declaration Statement

• reserves space for "variable"
  
• associate name with storage
  
• allows bit string in location to be interpreted according to type implementation
  
• more efficient use of storage
  
• better storage management
  
• static type checking
  (e.g. Z = X * Y)
  

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