ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Connascence (computer programming)

Okay, imagine that you and your friend are building a Lego castle together. You both have to work together to make sure that the castle looks like you want it to.

Now, imagine that there are different ways to build the castle. You might want to use blue and green bricks for the walls, while your friend wants to use red and yellow bricks. You both agree that the castle should have a drawbridge, but you don't talk about how it should work or how it should look.

This is what we call "connascence" in computer programming. When you and your friend are building the castle, you have to make sure that you don't accidentally build something that doesn't work together. That's the same in programming. If two parts of a program are "connascent," it means that they are working together in a way that makes sense.

There are different types of connascence in programming. For example, there's "name" connascence, where you use the same name for something in different parts of your program. And there's "time" connascence, where two different parts of your program have to happen in a specific order.

Just like building a Lego castle, programming requires cooperation and good communication to make sure everything comes together the right way. When different parts of a program are "connascent," it means that they fit together nicely like Lego bricks and create a strong, sturdy program.