Quick Study Points for Classes, Objects, and Inheritance

Quick Study Points for Classes, Objects, and Inheritance

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  1. Classes:

    • Definition: A class is a blueprint or template that defines the properties (attributes) and behaviours (methods) of objects.

    • Purpose: Classes provide a way to organize and structure code by encapsulating data and functions related to a specific concept or entity.

  1. Objects:

    • Definition: Objects are instances of a class that represent real-world entities and have their own unique state and behaviour.

    • Purpose: Objects allow us to create multiple instances of a class, each with its own set of data and behaviour.

  1. Inheritance:

    • Definition: Inheritance is a mechanism in object-oriented programming that allows a class to inherit properties and methods from another class.

    • Purpose: Inheritance promotes code reuse, facilitates the creation of hierarchical relationships between classes, and supports the concept of specialization.

  • a. Base Class/Parent Class/Superclass: The class from which properties and methods are inherited.

  • b. Derived Class/Child Class/Subclass: The class that inherits properties and methods from the base class.

  • c. Single Inheritance: When a subclass inherits from a single base class.

  • d. Multiple Inheritance: When a subclass inherits from multiple base classes.

  • e. Hierarchical Inheritance: When multiple subclasses inherit from a single base class. f. Multi-level Inheritance: When a subclass becomes the base class for another subclass.

  1. Polymorphism:

    • Definition: Polymorphism refers to the ability of objects of different classes to respond to the same message or method invocation.

    • Purpose: Polymorphism allows for code flexibility, extensibility, and the implementation of different behaviours for different object types.

  2. Method Overriding:

    • Definition: Method overriding is a feature of inheritance where a subclass provides its own implementation of a method defined in the base class.

    • Purpose: Method overriding allows for the modification or extension of the behaviour of inherited methods in the context of the subclass.

  • a. Overridden Method: The method in the base class that is redefined in the subclass.

  • b. Overriding Method: The method in the subclass that provides a new implementation for the overridden method.