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Duck typing
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Computer_programming/QmSsFnu0">computer programming</a>, duck typing is an application of the <a href="/facts/Duck_test/c2a0pGKo">duck test</a>—"If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck"—to determine whether an <a href="/facts/Object_(computer_science)/eX99dtAw">object</a> can be used for a particular purpose. With <a href="/facts/Nominative_typing/v3AUT1Km">nominative typing</a>, an object is of a given type if it is declared as such (or if a type's association with the object is inferred through mechanisms such as <a href="/facts/Object_inheritance/a7R1xv8n">object inheritance</a>). With duck typing, an object is of a given type if it has all <a href="/facts/Method_(computer_programming)/8kAXxVYs">methods</a> and properties required by that type. Duck typing may be viewed as a usage-based structural equivalence between a given object and the requirements of a type. </p>