ArraySliceElement

ArraySliceElement is a term used in discussions of array slices to refer to the individual items contained within a slice. A slice is a view into a contiguous segment of an array, and its elements are the same type as the elements of the underlying array. The ArraySliceElement therefore represents any single element of this segment, and can be read or written depending on the language's mutability rules.

In most languages with slices, the slice does not own the data; it holds a reference to the base array along with metadata such as length and, in some implementations, capacity. Each ArraySliceElement lies at a fixed offset from the base pointer, enabling constant-time access by index, e.g., slice[i]. Accessing slice[i] yields either a value or a reference to the underlying memory, depending on the language. Mutating an element through the slice mutates the corresponding element in the original array.

Creating a slice by selecting a subrange does not typically copy elements; instead it creates a new view that shares the same underlying storage. Slices can usually be extended within their capacity, producing new elements of type ArraySliceElement within the same memory region.

Related concepts include array elements, slices, and views. Understanding ArraySliceElement helps distinguish between operations on a slice view and operations on a standalone array, especially regarding ownership, mutability, and lifetime.