Predicates

In Essential, predicates define the conditions under which a contract’s state can be mutated. A predicate is essentially a pathway to validity for a contract. For a state mutation to be valid, one of the contract’s predicates must be satisfied.

Predicates consist of one or more constraints and operate differently from functions. They aren’t "called" like functions; instead, they serve as targets for validity. A solution must explicitly identify the predicate it aims to satisfy for the mutation to occur.

Each predicate and the contracts containing them are content-addressed, meaning they’re uniquely identified by their content, ensuring the integrity of each validation pathway.