Sticky code is computer code that binds together programs or software components that would otherwise not be compatible. This code generally has no purpose such as computation or computation, but rather serves solely as a proxy between two incompatible pieces of software. Object-oriented programming languages can be plugged into scripting languages, two object-oriented languages can be plugged into each other, or this code can tie together large parts of the same language.
man holding computer
While sticky code can be used to transfer information between computer languages, it is not necessary to do so. It typically allows one piece of code to call functions in another or allows small data values to be passed between blocks of code. Some code generators allow user-specified data structures to be passed between code modules, but not all do. Moving large amounts of data through connection code may not always be reliable.
The generated sticky code, especially when connecting disparate computer languages, often contains code snippets specific to each connected code module. For example, to connect C++ to Java, the generated code can include a C++ file and a Java file. As long as no major changes are made to the structures of the connected code modules, the generated files do not need to be changed, but can be updated as development progresses. Files generated like these rarely need to be modified or maintained by a developer and never by an end user.
Code Glue can be used to connect code modules of any size, from small functions to large libraries. Depending on the amount of proxy code generated for this purpose, there can be a significant amount of code overhead and overhead, so connecting small snippets of code in this way is not always ideal. When synchronizing large library calls or merging large code repositories, on the other hand, a small amount of this type of code can be a valuable way to bring functionality where it might not otherwise be available.
Extensible Markup Language (XML) data is sometimes confused with glue code, but the purpose of each is quite different. XML is a markup language, that is, it adds organizational and descriptive information to existing data for ease of interpretation. Both can serve as a proxy for moving information, but XML is static and much more limited in the data it can transfer between blocks of code. XML annotates and classifies data, while paste code enables data movement and manipulation.
