# tff.framework.Reference

<br />

|---|
| [![](https://www.tensorflow.org/images/GitHub-Mark-32px.png) View source on GitHub](https://github.com/tensorflow/federated/blob/v0.87.0 Version 2.0, January 2004 Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the) |

A reference to a name defined earlier in TFF's internal language.

Inherits From: [`ComputationBuildingBlock`](https://www.tensorflow.org/federated/api_docs/python/tff/framework/ComputationBuildingBlock), [`TypedObject`](https://www.tensorflow.org/federated/api_docs/python/tff/TypedObject)

    tff.framework.Reference(
        name: str, type_spec: object, context=None
    )

Names are defined by lambda expressions (which have formal named parameters),
and block structures (which can have one or more locals). The reference
construct is used to refer to those parameters or locals by a string name.
The usual hiding rules apply. A reference binds to the closest definition of
the given name in the most deeply nested surrounding lambda or block.

A concise notation for a reference to name `foo` is `foo`. For example, in
a lambda expression `(x -> f(x))` there are two references, one to `x` that
is defined as the formal parameter of the lambda epxression, and one to `f`
that must have been defined somewhere in the surrounding context.

<br />

<br />

<br />

| ## Args ||
|---|---|
| `name` | The name of the referenced entity. |
| `type_spec` | The type spec of the referenced entity. |
| `context` | The optional context in which the referenced entity is defined. This class does not prescribe what Python type the 'context' needs to be and merely exposes it as a property (see below). The only requirement is that the context implements str() and repr(). |

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

| ## Raises ||
|---|---|
| `TypeError` | if the arguments are of the wrong types. |

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

| ## Attributes ||
|---|---|
| `context` | <br /> <br /> |
| `name` | <br /> <br /> |
| `proto` | Returns a serialized form of this object as a pb.Computation instance. |
| `type_signature` | Returns the TFF type of this object (an instance of [`tff.Type`](https://www.tensorflow.org/federated/api_docs/python/tff/types/Type)). |

<br />

## Methods

### `children`

[View source](https://github.com/tensorflow/federated/blob/v0.87.0
Version 2.0, January 2004
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the)

    children() -> Iterator[https://www.tensorflow.org/federated/api_docs/python/tff/framework/ComputationBuildingBlock]

Returns an iterator yielding immediate child building blocks.

### `compact_representation`

[View source](https://github.com/tensorflow/federated/blob/v0.87.0
Version 2.0, January 2004
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the)

    compact_representation()

Returns the compact string representation of this building block.

### `formatted_representation`

[View source](https://github.com/tensorflow/federated/blob/v0.87.0
Version 2.0, January 2004
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the)

    formatted_representation()

Returns the formatted string representation of this building block.

### `from_proto`

[View source](https://github.com/tensorflow/federated/blob/v0.87.0
Version 2.0, January 2004
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the)

    @classmethod
    from_proto(
        computation_proto: pb.Computation
    ) -> 'Reference'

Returns an instance of a derived class based on 'computation_proto'.

<br />

<br />

<br />

| Args ||
|---|---|
| `computation_proto` | An instance of pb.Computation. |

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

| Returns ||
|---|---|
| An instance of a class that implements 'ComputationBuildingBlock' and that contains the deserialized logic from in 'computation_proto'. ||

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

| Raises ||
|---|---|
| `NotImplementedError` | if computation_proto contains a kind of computation for which deserialization has not been implemented yet. |
| `ValueError` | if deserialization failed due to the argument being invalid. |

<br />

### `structural_representation`

[View source](https://github.com/tensorflow/federated/blob/v0.87.0
Version 2.0, January 2004
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the)

    structural_representation()

Returns the structural string representation of this building block.

### `__eq__`

[View source](https://github.com/tensorflow/federated/blob/v0.87.0
Version 2.0, January 2004
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the)

    __eq__(
        other: object
    ) -> bool

Return self==value.