An Introduction to Object Oriented Programming

Final Replace: Jul 11, 2021

Right this moment I’m going to speak about Object Oriented Programming (OOP). That is the primary in a sequence of articles that may intention to show you extra about OOP and the way you need to use it to develop higher software program.

What we’ll study with this text:

What’s OOP?
What’s an object?
What’s a category?
What’s inheritance?
What’s an interface?

This fast intro will lay a basis of understanding so you can begin studying this thrilling approach of creating.

What’s Object Oriented Programming?

Object Oriented Programming is a technique of organizing your software program and partitioning issues utilizing information constructions known as “objects” and assigning attributes and strategies to them. By pondering by way of objects you’ll be able to set up your software program and revel in the next advantages:

Improved Group
By breaking apart the issues, a number of programmers can work on it.
Improved stability and suppleness
Your software program turns into extra scalable.
Improve reuse of software program.
Makes use of a really pure and simply understood approach of modeling.

These are simply among the advantages that OOP brings to your software program. Total most engineers take into account it to be a very good strategy, it’s a secure and mature methodology. However there are some disadvantages to OOP as effectively.

Typically it’s extra work than it’s value.
Not all languages and distributors implement OOP the identical approach
OOP shouldn’t be as environment friendly.
Typically it make an issue extra difficult.
You possibly can write dangerous OOP code simply as simple as dangerous procedural code.

Because you’re nonetheless studying this tutorial it should imply you’re nonetheless taken with OOP so let’s focus on among the fundamentals.

What’s an Object?

An object is mainly a noun: an individual place or factor. Within the software program world an object is a illustration of one thing, whether or not or not it’s an individual, a buyer order, a product or one thing related. It’s mainly an description of an actual object with out the small print. Objects could be cloned or copied and every copy of it may be modified.As one other instance we’ll use YOU as an object.

We all know that you just’re an individual, so our object can be an individual object. This isn’t a selected particular person however an outline of 1, making it an summary.

An individual has particular attributes, that are outlined by our object.

First Title
Final Title
Age
Peak
Hair Colour

All of those can be utilized to explain an individual, which might be our object. Since YOU are the thing, you’d fill in your attributes. Once more you might be an “occasion” of the particular person class.

A few of your “strategies” could be:

do_walk()
do_run()
do_eat()
do_sleep()
do_sit()

An object is solely an information construction that adheres to a definition and posesses attributes and strategies, and people strategies are what the thing truly does.

What’s a Class?

A category is an outline of an object that defines it’s properties (or attributes) and strategies as described above. It’s a template for creating an object. I’ll use the incessantly cited instance of cookies (tasty variety). Think about you may have a star formed cookie cutter. The cookies are objects, and the cookie cutter is a category. The cutter itself shouldn’t be a star however it’s formed like a star to create the objects (cookie) in the way in which you outline. Every cookie is an “occasion” of your star class.

A category is a definition of an object. The category comprises guidelines in regards to the object, together with which attributes it has, and what actions it may possibly do. It decides the construction of the thing, which properties it has and which strategies it performs.

What’s Inheritance?

Inheritance is a approach for objects recieve attributes and strategies from different objects. Every of those new lessons “inherit” issues from the father or mother class. As an example, you’re a particular person object with a sure final title. When you’ve got a baby, that youngster object will “inherit” your final title and so will decendants that move down. They could even inherit your peak and eye colour. See how a lot sense it makes to name it inheritance?

In programming, you usually create an object with sure attributes and strategies, after which department off with situations of that class, inheriting no matter you’ll want. You possibly can at all times overwrite these values later, however it’s good to have the ability to create objects understanding it can inherit sure issues. Inheritance is essential for code reuse and design effectivity.

What’s an Interface?

Inheritance is a technique or interplay between parts that’s been outlined prematurely. The rationale an interface is designed is in order that two parts can work collectively with out the designers of both element having to know a lot about one another. It creates expectations so designers can give attention to their very own product (or class).

For instance: {the electrical} sockets in your wall are an interface. There’s a a normal that defines what plugs will match within the socket, and the way a lot energy can be delivered by means of it. This manner any producer can construct their units and anticipate this interface when working with it.

When the producers of the blender in your counter have been designing it they know they needed to cope with a 110 volt interface with a 3 prong plug. The interface (energy socket) is linked to the facility firm, however the blender designers didn’t have to fret about whether or not the facility firm was utilizing coal energy or nuclear, and the facility firm isn’t designing blenders both.

Conclusion

Object Oriented Programming is a approach of utilizing actual world eventualities to explain software program and assist you to conceptualize it. OOP is merely an thought or self-discipline, not one thing you’ll be able to maintain in your hand, which is why individuals see OOP otherwise and have various opinions on it. I hope this information has given you a tough thought of what OOP is all about, I can be diving into this topic a lot deeper quickly.