Assertion (software development): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:09, 14 January 2021

Revision as of 17:35, 12 March 2021

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In [[computer programming]], specifically when using the [[imperative programming]] paradigm, an '''assertion''' is a [[Predicate (mathematical logic)|predicate]] (a [[Boolean-valued function]] over the [[state space]], usually expressed as a [[logical proposition]] using the [[variable (programming)|variable]]s of a program) connected to a point in the program, that always should evaluate to true at that point in code execution. Assertions can help a programmer read the code, help a compiler compile it, or help the program detect its own defects.

For the latter, some programs check assertions by actually evaluating the predicate as they run. Then, if it is not in fact true – an assertion failure –, the program considers itself to be broken and typically deliberately [[Crash (computing)|crashes]] or throws an assertion failure [[exception handling|exception]].

== Details ==