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Latent Typing

Something is latent if it is present but not visible. So latent typing has usually been used to describe situations where something has a type, but that type is not explicitly called out in the source code.[1]

• Wiki:LatentTyping
  
• DuckTyping, synonymous for LatentTyping
• DynamicTyping
• ImplicitTyping

As I pointed out yesterday, when you use a latent typing mechanism (the core concept in a true implementation of generics), the type is still there, it's just implied. So on a very simple level, you could look at it as a device that writes interfaces for you, so that you don't have to. It's an enabling device that reduces the amount of code you have to write.

"I don't care what type I'm using here as long as it has these methods."[2]

• http://www.mindview.net/WebLog/log-0052 --How to Argue about Typing
• http://www.mindview.net/WebLog/log-0053 --I'm Over It
  
• http://www.interact-sw.co.uk/iangblog/2005/01/06/notlatent --Latent Typing Doesn't Mean Implied Types

latent typing rarely implies exactly what the target type should provide, it merely imposes constraints