CSC/ECE 517 Fall 2010/ch1 1c NR

Introduction to Reflection

Reflection is the ability of a computer program to introspect- to examine aspects of a program from within itself at runtime.Especially, properties that are typically observed only from some external, meta-level viewpoint. Using reflection, programs can observe and modify their own behavior and structure. Reflection is the ability of a program to manipulate as data something representing the state of the program during its own execution. There are two aspects of such manipulation: introspection and intercession. Introspection is the abilityfor a program to observe and therefore reason about its own state. Intercession is the ability for a program to modify its own execution state or alter its own interpretation or meaning.