List of abstractions (computer science)

This list contains abstractions used in computer programming.

Abstraction	Definition	Usage
Closure	Data structure storing a function[lower-alpha 1] together with an environment:[1] a mapping associating each free variable of the function (variables that are used locally, but defined in an enclosing scope) with the value or storage location the name was bound to at the time the closure was created.[lower-alpha 2]	Functional programming
List	Abstract data type that represents a sequence of values
Monad	Structure that represents computations defined as sequences of steps: a type with a monad structure defines what it means to chain operations, or nest functions of that type together.	Functional programming
Trigger	Procedural code that is automatically executed in response to certain events on a particular table or view in a database.	RDBMS
Abstraction	Definition	Usage

Notes

1. The function may be stored as a reference to a function, such as a function pointer.
2. These names are most frequently refer to values, mutable variables or functions, but can also be other entities such as constants, types, classes, or labels.

References

1. Sussman and Steele. "Scheme: An interpreter for extended lambda calculus". "... a data structure containing a lambda expression, and an environment to be used when that lambda expression is applied to arguments." (Wikisource)