What is OOP ?

[Jacobvu84]

OOP stands for Object-Oriented Programming, which is a programming paradigm based on the concept of "objects." In OOP, a program is organized into objects that represent real-world entities, and these objects can interact with each other to perform tasks. The four main principles of OOP are encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction.

1. Encapsulation:

• Definition: Encapsulation is the bundling of data (attributes) and the methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit known as a class.
• Purpose: It helps in hiding the internal details of an object and restricting access to some of its components. Encapsulation also allows the object to control its state and behavior.

2. Inheritance:

• Definition: Inheritance is a mechanism that allows a class (subclass or derived class) to inherit properties and behaviors from another class (superclass or base class).
• Purpose: It promotes code reuse and establishes a relationship between classes. Subclasses can inherit and extend the functionality of their parent classes, leading to a hierarchical organization of classes.

3. Polymorphism:

• Definition: Polymorphism means "many forms." It allows objects of different types to be treated as objects of a common type.
• Purpose: Polymorphism enables a single interface to represent different types or classes. This can be achieved through method overloading (multiple methods with the same name but different parameters) and method overriding (providing a specific implementation for a method in a subclass).

4. Abstraction:

• Definition: Abstraction is the process of simplifying complex systems by modeling classes based on the essential properties and behaviors they share, while hiding the unnecessary details.
• Purpose: Abstraction helps manage complexity by providing a clear separation between what an object does and how it achieves its functionality. It allows programmers to focus on essential features and ignore non-essential details. These four pillars collectively provide a robust and flexible framework for designing and organizing code in a way that promotes modularity, reusability, and maintainability.

Encapsulation: Encapsulation refers to the bundling of data (attributes) and the methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit known as a class. The class serves as a blueprint for creating objects, and encapsulation helps hide the internal details of how an object works, exposing only what is necessary.

Inheritance: Inheritance is a mechanism that allows a class to inherit properties and behaviors from another class. The class that is being inherited from is called the superclass or parent class, and the class that inherits is called the subclass or child class. This promotes code reusability and helps create a hierarchy of classes.

Polymorphism: Polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common base class. It enables a single interface to represent different types or forms. There are two types of polymorphism: compile-time (method overloading) and runtime (method overriding).

Abstraction: Abstraction involves simplifying complex systems by modeling classes based on the essential properties and behaviors they share. It allows developers to focus on the relevant features of an object while ignoring unnecessary details.

[Jacobvu84]

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that uses objects and classes for organizing code. The four main pillars of OOP are:

1. Encapsulation:

• Definition: Encapsulation is the bundling of data (attributes) and the methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit known as a class.
• Purpose: It helps in hiding the internal details of an object and restricting access to some of its components. Encapsulation also allows the object to control its state and behavior.

2. Inheritance:

• Definition: Inheritance is a mechanism that allows a class (subclass or derived class) to inherit properties and behaviors from another class (superclass or base class).
• Purpose: It promotes code reuse and establishes a relationship between classes. Subclasses can inherit and extend the functionality of their parent classes, leading to a hierarchical organization of classes.

3. Polymorphism:

• Definition: Polymorphism means "many forms." It allows objects of different types to be treated as objects of a common type.
• Purpose: Polymorphism enables a single interface to represent different types or classes. This can be achieved through method overloading (multiple methods with the same name but different parameters) and method overriding (providing a specific implementation for a method in a subclass).

4. Abstraction:

• Definition: Abstraction is the process of simplifying complex systems by modeling classes based on the essential properties and behaviors they share, while hiding the unnecessary details.
• Purpose: Abstraction helps manage complexity by providing a clear separation between what an object does and how it achieves its functionality. It allows programmers to focus on essential features and ignore non-essential details. These four pillars collectively provide a robust and flexible framework for designing and organizing code in a way that promotes modularity, reusability, and maintainability.

[Jacobvu84]

What are the main principles of OOP? Object-oriented programming is based on the following principles:

Encapsulation. This principle states that all important information is contained inside an object and only select information is exposed. The implementation and state of each object are privately held inside a defined class. Other objects do not have access to this class or the authority to make changes. They are only able to call a list of public functions or methods. This characteristic of data hiding provides greater program security and avoids unintended data corruption.

Abstraction. Objects only reveal internal mechanisms that are relevant for the use of other objects, hiding any unnecessary implementation code. The derived class can have its functionality extended. This concept can help developers more easily make additional changes or additions over time.

Inheritance. Classes can reuse code from other classes. Relationships and subclasses between objects can be assigned, enabling developers to reuse common logic while still maintaining a unique hierarchy. This property of OOP forces a more thorough data analysis, reduces development time and ensures a higher level of accuracy.

Polymorphism. Objects are designed to share behaviors and they can take on more than one form. The program will determine which meaning or usage is necessary for each execution of that object from a parent class, reducing the need to duplicate code. A child class is then created, which extends the functionality of the parent class. Polymorphism allows different types of objects to pass through the same interface.