Glossary

This page lists out terms reused across pages in this section, and links to where they are introduced. A more complete list can be found in the TypeQL reference.

  • Annotation: Language fragments mainly used to add additional constraint to types.

  • Answer: A mapping of variables to the concepts the pattern "matched" in the database.

  • Bound variable: A variable which has been mapped to a concept.

  • Concept: An umbrella term for a type, an instance of a type or value.

  • Constraint: An atomic sentence of the TypeQL language. Broadly, constraint is used in two senses:

    • The schema is a collection of "constraints" on and between types - what values can a certain attribute type hold? What attributes can an entity/relation own, and what roles can they play?

    • The pattern in a match clause consists of "constraints" between variables that the concepts matched must satisfy.

  • Interface polymorphism: The polymorphism enabled by allowing different types to implement the same interface (play the same roles, or own the same attribute)

  • Pattern: A set of constraints describing the data to match or insert.

  • Preamble: A collection of functions preceding a query, valid for that query only.

  • Specialization: Restricting an inherited interface, so it may be implemented by a more specific set of types.

  • Variable: A placeholder for a concept in a pattern.