"interactible" or "interactable"

I came across this when developing a computer system in an object-oriented way. That is grouping data and functionality which relate to each other into objects and give those objects names.

Now, currently, I work on the only a part of the system which provides mutable state in the form of objects one can interact with, in a domain-specific sense. I was about to call them Interactables, I realized, however, that this is not a well-defined word.

The question is, is there an alternative noun for thing you interact with in the english language. And if not, what would be the preferred way to spell this word: Interactible or Interactable?

Solution 1:

You have two problems: interactable isn't a common word and if it were, it would be an adjective, not a noun.

Fortunately, the first problem is easily solved.

Interactive adjective

1 : mutually or reciprocally active

2 : involving the actions or input of a user

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interactive

As to the second problem, interactive is certainly much more often an adjective, but you can find it used as a noun, especially, as Wiktionary says, as "a feature (as in a museum) that can be interacted with."

For example:

Given how rapidly technology, delivery platforms, and interfaces are changing, it's not surprising that today's teens might find interactives in the museums outdated and pretty boring

Shivers Down Your Spine: Cinema, Museums, and the Immersive View

There has been a slow trickle of research...on the use-value of interactives within museum environments and art galleries.

Museums in the New Mediascape: Transmedia, Participation, Ethics

Those are clearly different uses than the one you're proposing, but they illustrate that the word's meaning is likely obvious enough that a new coinage will be easily understood.