Inheritance in object-Oriented-programming: Deep Dive
What is Inheritance in (Oops):
Inheritance is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows one class to inherit properties and methods from another class. It is used to create a hierarchical relationship between classes, where a subclass inherits the properties and methods of its parent class, also known as a superclass. In this article, we will explore inheritance in C++ in a beginner-friendly way, using a car class example to help illustrate the concepts.
Inheritance with Example(C++):
Here is an example of a simple example of inheritance in C++ that represents a car. Lets go through step by step:
Let's say we have a base class Car
which has some basic properties like carName, carModel and some basic behavior like startEngine() and stopEngine().
Now we want to create a new class SUV
which is inherited from the base class Car
and has some additional properties like numberOfSeats and some additional behavior like 4WDrive().
in this example, the SUV class inherits the properties and methods from the base class Car, which are carName and carModel, startEngine() and stopEngine(). And also it has its own properties and methods numberOfSeats and 4WDrive(). The keyword "public" is used to specify that the properties and behaviors of the Car class are accessible to the SUV class.
Once the class hierarchy has been defined, objects can be created from the subclasses and access the properties and methods of the superclass. Here is an example of creating an object of the SUV class and using its properties and methods:
In this example, the object mySUV of the SUV class can access the properties carName, carModel, numberOfSeats and methods startEngine(), stopEngine() and 4WDrive(). This is a basic example and in more complex program you can use access specifiers, constructor and destructor to use inheritance in more effective way.
Conclusion
Inheritance is a powerful feature of OOP that allows for code reuse and a more organized and efficient way to structure code. In C++, a subclass is defined using the keyword "class" followed by the name of the subclass, and a colon followed by the name of the superclass. Understanding and using inheritance correctly is crucial to creating maintainable, reusable, and efficient code.
Learn more about Oops here
Car
which has some basic properties like carName, carModel and some basic behavior like startEngine() and stopEngine().SUV
which is inherited from the base class Car
and has some additional properties like numberOfSeats and some additional behavior like 4WDrive().in this example, the SUV class inherits the properties and methods from the base class Car, which are carName and carModel, startEngine() and stopEngine(). And also it has its own properties and methods numberOfSeats and 4WDrive(). The keyword "public" is used to specify that the properties and behaviors of the Car class are accessible to the SUV class.
Once the class hierarchy has been defined, objects can be created from the subclasses and access the properties and methods of the superclass. Here is an example of creating an object of the SUV class and using its properties and methods:
In this example, the object mySUV of the SUV class can access the properties carName, carModel, numberOfSeats and methods startEngine(), stopEngine() and 4WDrive(). This is a basic example and in more complex program you can use access specifiers, constructor and destructor to use inheritance in more effective way.
Conclusion
Inheritance is a powerful feature of OOP that allows for code reuse and a more organized and efficient way to structure code. In C++, a subclass is defined using the keyword "class" followed by the name of the subclass, and a colon followed by the name of the superclass. Understanding and using inheritance correctly is crucial to creating maintainable, reusable, and efficient code.
Learn more about Oops here
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