# Whiley > programming language **Wikidata**: [Q23653623](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23653623) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiley_(programming_language)) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/whiley ## Summary Whiley is a programming language that supports both imperative and functional programming paradigms. Originating in 2010, it is distinguished by its typing discipline, which is characterized as strong, safe, and structural. The language is influenced by established languages such as Python and Java and maintains an active online presence at whiley.org. ## Key Facts - **Classification:** Whiley is an instance of a programming language. - **Inception:** The language was created in June 2010 (specifically noted as 2010-06-00). - **Paradigms:** Whiley supports multiple paradigms, including imperative programming and functional programming. - **Typing Discipline:** The language employs strong typing, safe typing, and structural typing. - **Influences:** Whiley's development was influenced by Python and Java (as well as other entities identified as Q15777 and Q575650 in the source data). - **File Formats:** The language uses the specific "Whiley file format" for both readable and writable files. - **Website:** The official website is located at http://whiley.org. - **Social Media:** The official Twitter handle is @WhileyLang. - **Wikipedia Presence:** The language is documented on Wikipedia under the title "Whiley (programming language)" in English, Spanish, and Cantonese (zh_yue). ## FAQs ### Q: What programming paradigms does Whiley support? A: Whiley supports a hybrid approach, incorporating both imperative programming and functional programming paradigms. ### Q: What are the defining characteristics of Whiley's type system? A: Whiley utilizes a type system defined as strong, safe, and structural. This suggests an emphasis on preventing type errors and ensuring program safety. ### Q: When was Whiley created? A: Whiley was created in June 2010. ### Q: Which languages influenced the development of Whiley? A: According to structured data, Whiley was influenced by Python and Java. ## Why It Matters Whiley represents a specific approach to programming language design that integrates features from distinct lineages. By combining the imperative and functional paradigms, it offers developers flexibility in how they structure software logic. Its inclusion of "safe typing" and "structural typing" indicates a focus on reducing common programming errors and ensuring software reliability, which are critical concerns in modern software engineering. The language’s existence since 2010 and its documentation across multiple languages (English, Spanish, Cantonese) demonstrate a sustained, albeit niche, international interest. Its derivation from major languages like Python and Java suggests it aims to improve upon or synthesize familiar concepts into a new system. Whiley serves as a practical example of academic or independent language development, exploring how structural typing and safety constraints can be implemented alongside imperative and functional styles. ## Notable For - **Hybrid Paradigms:** Whiley is notable for explicitly supporting both imperative and functional programming styles within a single language. - **Structural Typing:** Unlike many mainstream object-oriented languages that use nominal typing, Whiley employs structural typing, where type compatibility is determined by the structure of the data rather than its name. - **Safety Focus:** The language explicitly defines its typing discipline as "safe," prioritizing the prevention of runtime errors. - **Dual Influence:** It draws inspiration from two of the world's most popular languages, Python and Java, attempting to bridge gaps between their respective philosophies. ## Body ### Origin and Classification Whiley is classified as a programming language designed for communicating instructions to a machine. The project officially began in June 2010. It is categorized within knowledge bases as an "instance of" a programming language. ### Technical Design and Paradigms Whiley is designed to accommodate different programming styles. It supports: - **Imperative Programming:** Allowing developers to write code using statements that change a program's state. - **Functional Programming:** Supporting a style where computation is treated as the evaluation of mathematical functions. A defining feature of Whiley is its **Typing Discipline**. It uses: - **Strong Typing:** Restricting operations on data types to prevent errors. - **Safe Typing:** Ensuring that type errors do not occur at runtime. - **Structural Typing:** Basing type equivalence on the structure of the value rather than explicit declarations. ### Influences The design of Whiley has been explicitly influenced by other major programming languages. Source data identifies **Python**, a general-purpose language created in 1991, and **Java**, an object-oriented language created in 1995, as direct influences. ### File Handling and Resources Whiley utilizes a specific container for its code known as the **Whiley file format**, which serves as both the readable and writable format for the language. The language is maintained online with a presence at **http://whiley.org** and a Twitter account under the handle **@WhileyLang**. Its logo is archived at `https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Whiley_Logo.png`. The language has a Google Knowledge Graph ID of `/g/11bx89c0jn`.