Editing Eiffel (programming language) (section)

{{Short description|Object-oriented programming language}}
{{Infobox programming language
| name = Eiffel
| logo = Eiffel logo.svg
| logo caption = Eiffel logo
| paradigm = [[Programming paradigm|Multi-paradigm]]: [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]], [[Class-based programming|class-based]], [[Generic programming|generic]], [[Concurrent object-oriented programming|concurrent]]
| designer = [[Bertrand Meyer]]
| developer = Eiffel Software
| released = {{Start date and age|1986}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Eiffel in a Nutshell |url=https://archive.eiffel.com/eiffel/nutshell.html |date=1985–2012 |website=Eiffel Software |language=en |access-date=29 November 2024}}</ref>
| latest release version = [[EiffelStudio]] 24.05<ref>{{cite web |title=EiffelStudio 24.05 is available! |url=https://www.eiffel.org/blog/eiffelstudio_24_05 |date=14 June 2024 |website=Eiffel.org |access-date=29 November 2024}}</ref>
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2024|06|14|df=y}}
| typing = [[Static typing|static]]
| implementations = [[EiffelStudio]], [[LibertyEiffel]], [[SmartEiffel]], [[Visual Eiffel]], Gobo Eiffel, "The Eiffel Compiler" tecomp
| programming language = Eiffel
| platform = [[Cross-platform software|Cross-platform]]
| operating system = [[FreeBSD]], [[Linux]], [[macOS]], [[OpenBSD]], [[Oracle Solaris|Solaris]], [[Windows]]
| license = dual and enterprise
| file ext = <code>.e</code>
| website = {{URL|eiffel.org}}
| dialects = 
| influenced by = [[Ada (programming language)|Ada]], [[Simula]], [[Z notation|Z]]
| influenced = [[Ada (programming language)|Ada 2012]], [[Albatross (programming language)|Albatross]], [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]], [[D (programming language)|D]], [[Java (programming language)|Java]], [[Racket (programming language)|Racket]], [[Ruby (programming language)|Ruby]],<ref name="nov2pro">{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Peter |year=2009 |title=Beginning Ruby: From Novice to Professional |edition=2nd |series=Beginning from Novice to Professional |publisher=APress |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-1-4302-2363-4 |page=101 |quote=To a lesser extent, Python, LISP, Eiffel, Ada, and C++ have also influenced Ruby.}}</ref> [[Sather]], [[Scala (programming language)|Scala]]
}}

'''Eiffel''' is an [[Object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] [[programming language]] designed by [[Bertrand Meyer]] (an object-orientation proponent and author of ''[[Object-Oriented Software Construction]]'') and Eiffel Software. Meyer conceived the language in 1985 with the goal of increasing the reliability of commercial software development.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eiffel – the Language |url=http://www.berenddeboer.net/eiffel/archive/halstenbach_eiffel_history.html |access-date=6 July 2016 |website=berenddeboer.net}}</ref> The first version was released in 1986. In 2005, the [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO) released a [[technical standard]] for Eiffel.

The design of the language is closely connected with the Eiffel programming method. Both are based on a set of principles, including [[design by contract]], [[command–query separation]], the [[uniform access principle|uniform-access principle]], the [[Single choice principle|single-choice principle]], the [[open–closed principle]], and [[option–operand separation]].

Many concepts initially introduced by Eiffel were later added into [[Java (programming language)|Java]], [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]], and other languages.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Meyer |first1=Bertrand |author1-link=Bertrand Meyer |date=2009-08-28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6yupzA8JZjQC&dq=Many+concepts+initially+introduced+by+Eiffel+later+found+their+way+into+Java,+C&pg=PR37 |title=Touch of Class: Learning to Program Well with Objects and Contracts |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-540-92144-8 |language=en}}</ref> New language design ideas, particularly through the [[Ecma International|Ecma]]/[[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] standardization process, continue to be incorporated into the Eiffel language.