Glossary of Terms

constraint

A unit of validation logic that defines criteria that an object property is validated against.

constraint object

An object definition in the VSD having at least a test or poll attribute.

context

A unit of validation logic that defines criteria that an object is validated against.

rule

A reference to a validation unit in the VSD optionally prefixed by a target property. The validation unit can be a validator method, a context, a constraint, or an array of constraints.

rule expression

Two or more rules compared via logic gates. Or even one rule preceded by a not gate.

target property

The property to be validated for a given rule.

test method

Synonymous with 'validator method'. This refers to a method on the validator implementation.

validation session

The validation activity that takes place within a single call to .validate().

validation unit

A unit (or aggregation of units) of validation logic. A test method, context, constraint, or constraint array.