Architected Futures™

Tools and strategies ... for boiling the ocean

Class

EATS: A classification scheme used to define affinity among some collection of elements based on common attributes, characteristics, qualities, or traits.

In an object-oriented framework, a class is the abstract pattern that defines the properties and behaviors of a family of similar objects. In this scheme class is structural and represents a type which is used as a model for the creation of instances. All elements of a class inherit common properties and behaviors from the class definition. Every element has one class as its type. An element's class is a static attribute and does not change.

In an ontological framework, a class is a collection of elements which share common characteristics. Any element can be a member of many classes simultaneously. By changing the values of one or more of their characteristics (properties or behaviors), elements may dynamically change their class membership.

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