nResult

nResult is a conceptual term used in programming to denote a container that represents the outcome of a computation that yields multiple results. The prefix "n" signals arity, indicating that the operation produces exactly n values, in contrast to a single value. An nResult may also include status information such as success or error.

Designs for nResult vary, but two common formulations recur. One design uses a fixed-size record or structure with fields representing each output (for example, r1 through rn) along with a status flag or error indicator. A second design wraps a fixed-length array or tuple of length n, again accompanied by a success indicator or metadata. In both cases the structure is intended to model multi-output computations in a type-safe way, enabling callers to reason about all outputs cohesively.

Semantics typically require that an nResult encodes both the outcome status and the associated values. A successful nResult means all n outputs have been produced, while an unsuccessful one contains error information that may pertain to one or more of the outputs. Some formulations distinguish per-output success or failure and aggregate these into a composite status.

Usage scenarios include functions that yield several related results, multi-step pipelines where later results depend on earlier ones, and theoretical discussions that generalize single-value result types such as Result, Maybe, or Either. In practice, many languages provide alternative mechanisms for multi-value returns (for example, tuples or out parameters); an nResult is most useful when a uniform, explicit structure for all outputs and their status is desired. See also: Result type, Either type, Maybe type.