referentiepad

Referentiepad is a term used in Dutch computing to describe a path that points to an external file or resource which is used by development tools for reference purposes. It does not usually indicate a runtime dependency; instead, it provides information that helps a compiler, editor, or documentation generator locate types, declarations, or documentation related to the code.

In practice, referentiepad appears in contexts where tools need to know about additional assets without loading them at runtime. A common example is in early versions of TypeScript, where a directive in a source file could reference another file containing type declarations. The directive appears as a path, guiding the tooling to the referenced file so that features like type checking and IntelliSense can use the included declarations. Similar concepts exist in other ecosystems, such as comment-based references in JavaScript or tooling metadata that points to external libraries or typings.

Key characteristics of a referentiepad are that it is typically implemented as metadata or comments rather than an import or include statement executed at runtime. It serves development-time purposes, such as improving editor support, enabling static analysis, or guiding documentation generation. Because its use is tooling-oriented, the exact syntax and availability can vary between languages and environments.

Related terms include reference, path, ambient declarations, and typings. While modern module systems rely on explicit imports, a referentiepad remains a historical or supplementary mechanism to connect code with external reference information.