UpdateValue

UpdateValue is a general term used in programming to describe the process or function that changes the value stored at a particular location in a data structure, such as a field in an object, an element in a map, or a cell in a configuration. It can refer to replacing the existing value with a new one or applying a transformation to derive the new value.

There are two primary approaches to updateValue: immutable updates and mutable updates. Immutable updates create a new data structure with the updated value, leaving the original unchanged. This is common in functional programming and in state management patterns where predictable state transitions are desired. Mutable updates modify the data in place, which can be faster and memory-efficient but risks side effects and accidental data corruption, especially in shared contexts.

Common forms include updating a single key in an object, updating a nested path, or applying an updater function that computes the new value from the current one. Examples in practice might be replacing a field with a new value, computing a new object by spreading existing fields and overriding one, or applying a function like updater(oldValue) to determine the result.

In usage, updateValue appears in languages and frameworks across data handling, user interfaces, and databases. Signatures vary, but typical patterns include updateValue(container, key, newValue) returning a new container, or updateValue(container, path, updater) applying an updater to derive the result. When implementing updateValue, considerations include data structure complexity, concurrency, validation, and whether immutability or mutability best fits the context.