Glossary — MMTK User Guide 2.7.7 documentation

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# Glossary

Abstract base class
  A Base Class that is not directly usable by itself, but which defines the common properties of several subclasses. Example: the class `MMTK.ChemicalObjects.ChemicalObject` is an abstract base class which defines the common properties of its subclasses `MMTK.ChemicalObjects.Atom`, `MMTK.ChemicalObjects.Group`, `MMTK.ChemicalObjects.Molecule`, `MMTK.ChemicaObjects.Complex`, and `MMTK.ChemicalObjects.AtomCluster`. A Mix-in class is a special kind of abstract base class.
Base class
  A class from which another class inherits. In most cases, the inheriting class is a specialization of the base class. For example, the class `MMTK.ChemicalObjects.Molecule` is a base class of `MMTK.Proteins.PeptideChain`, because peptide chains are special molecules. Another common application is the Abstract base class.
Mix-in class
  A class that is used as a Base class in other classes with the sole intention of providing methods that are common to these classes. Mix-in classes cannot be used to create instances. They are a special kind of Abstract base class. Example: class `MMTK.Collections.GroupOfAtoms`.
Subclass
  A class that has another class as its Base class. The subclass is usually a specialization of the base class, and can use all of the methods defined in the base class. Example: class `MMTK.Proteins.Residue` is a subclass of `MMTK.ChemicalObjects.Group`.

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