In computer programming

Computer programming

Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...

, an Iliffe vector, also known as a display, is a data structure

Data structure

In computer science, a data structure is a particular way of storing and organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently.Different kinds of data structures are suited to different kinds of applications, and some are highly specialized to specific tasks...

 used to implement multi-dimensional arrays. An Iliffe vector for an n-dimensional array (where n > 2) consists of a vector (or 1-dimensional array) of pointers to an (n − 1)-dimensional array. They are often used to avoid the need for expensive multiplication operations when performing address calculation on an array element. They can also be used to implement triangular array

Triangular array

In mathematics and computing, a triangular array of numbers, polynomials, or the like, is a doubly indexed sequence in which each row is only as long as the row's own index.Notable particular examples include these:...

s, or other kinds of irregularly shaped arrays. The data structure is named after John K. Iliffe,

Their disadvantages include the need for multiple chained pointer indirections to access an element, and the extra work required to determine the next row in an n-dimensional array to allow an optimising compiler to prefetch it. Both of these are a source of delays on systems where the CPU is significantly faster than main memory.

The Iliffe vector for a 2-dimensional array is simply a vector of pointers to vectors of data, i.e., the Iliffe vector represents the columns of an array where each column element is a pointer to a row vector.

Multidimensional arrays in languages such as Java

Java (programming language)

Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...

, Python

Python (programming language)

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...

 (multidimensional lists), Ruby

Ruby (programming language)

Ruby is a dynamic, reflective, general-purpose object-oriented programming language that combines syntax inspired by Perl with Smalltalk-like features. Ruby originated in Japan during the mid-1990s and was first developed and designed by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto...

, Perl

Perl

Perl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier. Since then, it has undergone many changes and revisions and become widely popular...

, PHP

PHP

PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...

, JavaScript

JavaScript

JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....

, Objective-C

Objective-C

Objective-C is a reflective, object-oriented programming language that adds Smalltalk-style messaging to the C programming language.Today, it is used primarily on Apple's Mac OS X and iOS: two environments derived from the OpenStep standard, though not compliant with it...

, and Atlas Autocode

Atlas Autocode

Atlas Autocode was a programming language developed around 1965 at Manchester University for the Atlas Computer. It was developed by Tony Brooker and Derrick Morris as an improvement on the ALGOL programming languages, removing some of Algol's poorer features such as "passing parameters by name"...

 are implemented as Iliffe vectors.

Iliffe vectors are contrasted with dope vector

Dope vector

In computer programming, a dope vector is a data structure used to hold information about a data object, e.g. an array, especially its memory layout....

s in languages such as Fortran, which contain the stride factors and offset values for the subscripts in each dimension.