tumplist

tumplist is a term that refers to a list of items, often in a programming or data management context, where each item is associated with a "tuple" or a fixed-size collection of values. These tuples can represent various data structures, such as coordinates, key-value pairs, or records with multiple fields. The primary characteristic of a tumplist is the ordered and immutable nature of the elements within each tuple.

In practical applications, tumplists are used for organizing and retrieving structured data efficiently. For example, in a database, a tumplist might represent a table where each row is a tuple containing specific data types like integers, strings, or dates. The tumplist then serves as the entire collection of these rows. Similarly, in graphical user interfaces, tumplists can store lists of objects, with each object represented by a tuple defining its properties, such as position, size, and color.

The immutability of tuples within a tumplist ensures data integrity. Once a tuple is created and added to the list, its contents cannot be changed. This feature is valuable for preventing accidental modifications and for use in concurrent programming scenarios where shared data needs to be protected. When modifications are required, a new tuple is typically created with the updated values, and the old one is replaced or removed from the tumplist. The term "tumplist" itself is a portmanteau of "tuple" and "list," clearly indicating its composite nature.