relativeenable

Relativeenable is a design concept in software configuration and policy management referring to enabling a component or capability based on relationships to other elements rather than on its own flag alone. In a relativeenable system, the enabled state is derived from a set of relational rules that compare the component against prerequisites, contexts, or dependencies.

Mechanics: Each element has an intrinsic base state (on/off) and a set of conditions expressed as dependencies or contextual predicates. An element is considered enabled if its base state is on and all required relations hold, or, in some configurations, if any one of a set of conditions is met. This enables dynamic enabling that adapts to configuration changes, user roles, or runtime state rather than requiring manual reconfiguration for every case.

Applications: Relativeenable is used in feature flag management, modular software architectures, and access-control systems. For example, a feature F may be enabled only when a prerequisite module G is active and the current user has a specific role or permission. In a UI, a button may be enabled relative to the availability of multiple data sources.

Implementation patterns: dependency graphs, policy engines, and gating logic are common. Cautions: relativeenable adds complexity, can create cycles or hard-to-trace states, and may incur runtime overhead.

See also: feature flag, dependency, gating, RBAC, ABAC, policy engine.