Type generalization

Type generalization is a technique commonly used in <a href="/facts/Refactoring/gkw9oVTE">refactoring</a>. The idea is to draw on the benefits of <a href="/facts/Object-oriented_programming/TxNMEcao">object-orientation</a> and make more-generalized types, thus enabling more code sharing, leading to better maintainability as there is less code to write. Too-general code can, however, become completely useless, leading to <a href="/facts/Spaghetti_code/R6vTEHTI">spaghetti code</a> doing effectively nothing.
Type generalization refers to making more general or more abstract some subset of the traits of a specific <a href="/facts/Data_type/fcx5hgVL">type</a>. A <a href="/facts/Superclass_(computer_science)/a7R1xv8n">superclass</a> has wider use than a specific <a href="/facts/Subclass_(computer_science)/a7R1xv8n">subclass</a>, and so is more 'general'.
An example of generalizing a type would be moving a <a href="/facts/Method_(computer_science)/8kAXxVYs">method</a> from a child to a parent <a href="/facts/Class_(computer_science)/zvzkSAtE">class</a> for common use by all the parent class' children, not just the original child.
Another example, in the <a href="/facts/Java_(programming_language)/9ScgFyAL">Java programming language</a>, would be access to an <a href="/facts/Object_(computer_science)/eX99dtAw">object</a> via an <a href="/facts/Interface_(computer_science)/zdfp8unT">interface</a> which isn't tied into a specific implementation of that interface.

Type generalization open-in-new

Type generalization