Basic concepts of Object-Oriented Programming: Objects, Classes

 

Basic concepts of Object-Oriented Programming: Objects, Classes

 

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that uses "objects" to model real-world entities. Here’s a brief overview of some fundamental concepts:

 

1. Objects

- Definition: Objects are instances of classes. They represent real-world entities or concepts in code and encapsulate data and behavior.

- Attributes: These are the data fields or properties of an object. For instance, in a `Car` object, attributes might include `color`, `model`, and `year`.

- Methods: These are functions or procedures that operate on the data within an object. For example, a `Car` object might have methods like `start()`, `accelerate()`, and `brake()`.

 

2. Classes

- Definition: A class is a blueprint or template for creating objects. It defines a type of object according to the data it holds and the methods that operate on that data.

- Structure:

  - Attributes: These are defined within the class to represent the properties of objects created from the class.

  - Methods: These are defined within the class to perform operations on the attributes or provide functionalities related to the objects.

- Example:

   class Car

{

  private:

      std::string color;

      std::string model;

      int year;

  public:

      Car(std::string c, std::string m, int y) : color(c), model(m), year(y) {}

      void start() { /* code to start the car */ }

      void accelerate() { /* code to accelerate */ }

      void brake() { /* code to brake */ }

      // Getter methods

      std::string getColor() { return color; }

      std::string getModel() { return model; }

      int getYear() { return year; }

  };

  

  In the example above, `Car` is a class with attributes `color`, `model`, and `year`, and methods `start()`, `accelerate()`, and `brake()`.