[void article] an instance variable of type Halter

[AlexAD]

Hello.

As reading programming literature I have often questioned myself about the articles being used.
I have this sentence, 'In the preceding code the Horse class has an instance variable of type Halter'.

Basically, the class and the type used in that sentence means the same but it is the Horse class comparing to of type Halter where the definite article is missing. Why?

My guess would be that authors have often used a technique where a word is printed in italic type dropping the definite article before the word. After times this evolved to the when authors at times didn't even care about making a word italic but kept dropping the article. Could you please correct me if I am wrong.

I would be very grateful if you would correct any mistakes in the message.

Thank you very much.

 

[SoothingDave]

Basically, the class and the type used in that sentence means the same but it is ​

the Horse class comparing to of type Halter where the definite article is missing. Why?

My guess would be that authors have often used a technique where a word is printed in italic type dropping the definite article before the word. After times this evolved to the when authors at times didn't even care about making a word italic but kept dropping the article. Could you please correct me if I am wrong.

I think you're thinking about it too much. Programmers have been saying "of type integer" or "of type boolean" since I learned to program decades ago. It didn't evolve from the use of italics or anything like that. They didn't have fancy formatting in program comments.

I would imagine that since "Horse class" is the subject of the sentence, it gets an article, where when it is used as an object, it doesn't. I bet you can find somewhere a sentence saying that something something is of class Horse.

 

[birdeen's call]

I don't think there's anything strange about this. Take a look at this video:

'Dead Weight' - CBS News Video

At the beginning, Julie Chen says

Now to a century old true story of injustice which has been given new life by author Batt Humphreys in the form of a novel [...]

And this is from The Washington Post:

Singer Nelly Furtado was pictured in a video extolling the virtues of healthy eating -- using motherhood as her credentials.

I think it's the same construction.

 

[AlexAD]

Thank you very much, but I think I don't quite get the rule. Could you please give me another hint?
Thank you.

 

[birdeen's call]

Thank you very much, but I think I don't quite get the rule. Could you please give me another hint?
Thank you.

I don't know what the rule is, but I've noticed that the combination "common name + proper name" will often have no article in front it. I think "Halter" may be considered a proper name here.

I'm not sure that this a rule though, and I'm not sure that, if it is, it is being used in this case.