Evaluation Automaton — Dot Access a.b

Documentation status: architecture — see Maturity and evidence.

Dot access represents relative resolution: the left-hand side establishes a context or value, then the right-hand side is resolved inside it.

Conceptual protocol

evaluate left side
  -> determine resulting value category
  -> resolve next segment
  -> obtain value, property, role, or capability
  -> continue path or return result

Polymorphic resolution

The engine can apply different resolution rules depending on the value category and evaluation context. What matters to applications is the public path semantics, not private dispatch mechanics.

Path chains

An expression such as:

customer.address.city

can be understood as a sequence of relative resolutions. Each step uses the value returned by the previous step.

Boundary

Public documentation must not promise access to a particular member category unless that category is defined by the relevant language or binding contract.