Glossary

These definitions are provided to ensure that everyone working on the project means the same thing when they use a term.

It is split into sections in an attempt to keep things managable.

Build System Terminology

Artifact: A piece of data which is the input or output of a transformation. This will normally be a file but may be something else. e.g. It could be printed to the terminal.
Final: A process which consumes artifacts only. No artifacts are produced.
Initial: A process which produces artifacts only. No artifacts are consumed.
Product: An artifact produced by a final process. Something the user is expecting to get from the build system.
Transformation: A process which takes one or more artifacts and produces one or more artifacts.

Cycle: A path through the graph which revisits a node.
Directed Acylclic Graph (DAG): A graph in which all edges have a direction and there are no cycles.
Directed Edge: May only be traversed in one direction.
Edge: Connects two nodes. May be traversed in either direction.
Graph: A set of nodes connected by edges.
Node: Where edges meet.
Vertex: See Node.

Functional requirement: Pieces of functionality the final implemented system must exhibit. Each one tends to be a discrete piece of work in its own right.
Functional testing: A testing technique in which a piece of code is stimulated with a set input and the result is compared against an expected answer.
Integration testing: A method of functional testing in which several subsystems are tested together.
System testing: A method of functional testing in which an entire software system is tested. The system is usually a program or library.
Technical requirement: A statement of fact which must be true for the system being implemented. These usually describe some aspect of the development or operational environemnt.
Unit testing: A method of functional testing in which a single descrete unit of code is tested. A unit is usually a subroutine or method.