Specifiedfixed

Specifiedfixed is a concept used in data schemas and configuration languages to denote values whose exact content is dictated by an external specification and whose runtime representation is immutable. The idea combines two notions: specified, meaning the value is defined by an authoritative document or contract, and fixed, meaning it cannot change after initialization. In practice, a specifiedfixed value often includes a fixed precision or scale; for numeric types the spec may require, for example, two decimal places and a maximum magnitude. The value is validated against the specification at load time and remains unchanged thereafter.

Implementation patterns for specifiedfixed include fixed-point wrappers with read-only exposure, configuration keys that map to a canonical value object, or language-level constructs such as constant declarations bound to a schema. When serialized, specifiedfixed values typically have a canonical form to enable cross-system interoperability. The approach emphasizes determinism and reproducibility, especially in distributed or multi-language environments.

Applications of specifiedfixed arise in financial calculations, regulatory reporting, and data exchange between heterogeneous systems where exact values and formats must be preserved. By enforcing an externally defined content and representation, specifiedfixed helps ensure consistency across platforms and implementations, reducing ambiguity in interpretation of numeric or structured data.

Limitations of the approach include design rigidity that can hinder evolution of the specification, tooling complexity, and potential overhead from validation and serialization. Debugging can also be more challenging when values are fixed by external contracts rather than inferred or computed at runtime. See also fixed-point arithmetic, immutability, data schema, and canonical form.