Iteriterable

Iteriterable is a term used in programming discussions to describe a class of objects that are both iterable themselves and, when iterated, yield items that are themselves iterable. The concept emphasizes a duality in which a single object can be traversed directly and its produced elements participate in further iteration patterns without requiring separate wrapping or re-instantiation.

Formal idea and properties:

An object A is considered iteriterable if:

- A is iterable, meaning there is a mechanism (such as an __iter__ method) that returns an iterator for A.

- The iterator produced by A is itself iterable, i.e., it has an __iter__ method that returns an iterator (often itself).

In languages with explicit interfaces, an iteriterable may be described as implementing a contract where the container’s __iter__ returns an iterator that adheres to the iterable protocol as well. This design enables nested or multi-level iteration and can support chaining of iteration-based abstractions.

Practical perspective:

In many modern languages, ordinary iterables already fulfill the core idea, since most iterators are also iterable. The iteriterable designation highlights patterns where iteration can be composed with higher-level abstractions, allowing direct traversal of a container while also enabling seamless use of the produced iterables in nested loops or functional pipelines. It can simplify certain forms of iteration composition and re-use of iteration logic.

Limitations:

The concept may add conceptual overhead for beginners who must distinguish between containers, iterables, and iterators. In some cases, the guarantees expected from an iteriterable could conflict with single-pass iterators, requiring careful design to avoid unintended behavior.

See also: iterable, iterator, generator, for loop, design pattern.