IVtype

IVtype is a term used in computer science to describe a wrapper data type that pairs a value with its type information at runtime. The concept is intended to support safer interoperation between dynamic and static typing, as well as to preserve type metadata through serialization, deserialization, and inter-language boundaries. While not tied to a single standardized language, IVtype appears in discussions of type systems and language design as a generic pattern for carrying both data and its descriptor.

Structure and semantics

An IVtype consists of two core components: a typeDescriptor and a value. The typeDescriptor encodes the runtime type and any constraints or subtyping information, while the value holds the actual data. Some designs support IVtype as a parameterized construct, written as IVtype<T>, indicating that the wrapper is expected to carry a value of type T. This enables compile-time expectations to be checked while still allowing runtime type inspection and safe casting when needed.

Characteristics

IVtype supports runtime type identification, guards for safe access, and straightforward serialization that retains type information. It typically enables boxing and unboxing of values, reflection-based operations, and compatibility with generic programming patterns. In practice, IVtype can act as a bridge between loosely typed inputs and strongly typed consumer code, especially at API boundaries or in data interchange formats.

Examples

Pseudocode example:

IVtype<Int> iv = IVtype<Int>(42)

if iv.typeDescriptor == Int then print(iv.value)

See also

Variant type, union type, dynamic typing, type erasure, reflection, serialization formats.