Subj : Re: Define callback
To   : comp.lang.c++,comp.programming
From : alfps
Date : Mon Jul 11 2005 12:03 am

* Steven T. Hatton:
> Can someone provide a fromal definition of "callback"?  I see this term used
> often, and can usually understand the discussion where it's used, but I
> would be hard-pressed to provide a formal definition.

Split a software system into two non-overlapping regions of code A and B.
An executable entity defined by A and passed as argument from A to some
routine in B for execution by B-code is a callback.  In that sense member
functions can be and usually are callbacks, but most often "callback" is
used for and implies free functions and functor objects.

See also <url: http://www.google.com/search?q=define:callback>, and perhaps
also patents issued in the US... ;-)

XFUT [comp.programming].

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