Categorical definitions and properties via generators

Abstract

In the present work, we show how the study of categorical constructions does not have to be done with all the objects of the category, but we can restrict ourselves to work with families of generators. Thus, universal properties can be characterized through iterated families of generators, which leads us in particular to an alternative version of the adjoint functor theorem. Similarly, the properties of relations or subobjects algebra can be investigated by this method. We end with a result that relates various forms of compactness through representable functors of generators.