Defn

A definition in NIR.

Programs in NIR are represented as a sequence of definitions denoting types, methods and fields. Definitions fall into two categories:

• Top-level definitions: these represent classes, modules, traits, or global variables and constants.
• Member definitions: these represent fields or methods.

Classes and modules inherit from a single parent with the exception of java.lang.Object, which sits at the top of the hierarchy. They may additionally implement traits.

Definitions may also carry attributes providing further information about their semantics (e.g., whether a method may be inlined). Attributes are also used to mark special-purpose definitions, such as stubs, proxies and FFIs.