message

n 1: a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or

signaled; "he sent a three-word message"

2: what a communication that is about something is about [syn:

{content}, {subject matter}, {substance}]

message

In {object-oriented programming} sending a message to an

{object} (to invoke a {method}) is equivalent to calling a

{procedure} in traditional programming languages, except that

the actual code executed may only be selected at run-time

depending on the {class} of the object. Thus, in response to

the message "drawSelf", the method code invoked would be

different if the target object were a circle or a square.

(1995-02-16)