Value Objects

The term value object refers to a small object that contains a simple value such as a dates, numbers, string or money. They are implemented to be immutable, meaning a new object is created whenever modifications are requested. This property helps to prevent the side affects that come from objects being passed by reference.

There are five classes in Flourish that are implemented as value objects:

• fDate
• fMoney
• fNumber
• fTime
• fTimestamp

Here are some other pages about value objects:

• http://martinfowler.com/bliki/ValueObject.html
• http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ValueObject

The opposite of a value object is a reference object.