Value semantics

Value semantics for an object indicates that only its value is important. Its identity is irrelevant. The alternative is reference/pointer semantics; the identity of the object is at least as important as the value of the object. This terminology is closely related to pass/copy-by-value and pass-by-reference. Value semantics is a very important topic to consider when designing a library interface. These decisions ultimately affect user convenience, interface complexity, memory-management and compiler optimizations.

Regular Types

I am going to purposely keep this section light on the formal mathematics, because the rigorous proof and definition of these terms are not my goal for the essay. Throughout this entry, the word object will be used to mean any variable type that can store a value in memory. Regular types are the basis created by the set of properties which are common to all objects representable in a computer.

Huh?! Let's pare this down a little bit more. Specifically, we are interested in the set of operations that can be performed on objects in our program. Regular types promote the development of objects that are interoperable.

Value Semantics

If we choose the same syntax for operations on different types of objects, our code becomes more reusable. A perfect example is the fundamental (built-in) types in C++. Assignment, copy, equality, and address-of all use the same syntax to operate on these types. User types that are defined to support these regular operations in the same way the fundamental types do, can participate in value semantics. That is, the value of the object can be the focus rather than the identity of the object.

Reference Semantics

Reference semantics refers to when your object is always referred to indirectly. Pointers and references are an example of this. We will see in a moment how the possibility of multiple references to your object can quickly complicate your logic.

An Object's Identity

The identity of an object relates to unique information that identifies instances of an object such as its location and size in memory. Management of interactions with the object instance is often the primary focus when reference semantics are used. The reasons vary from efficiency by avoiding an expensive copy to controlled access to an object by multiple owners. Be sure to evaluate the purpose of each interaction with an object to determine what is most important.