Object-Oriented Programming

What is Object-Oriented Programming?

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of "objects", which can contain data and code. Data is in the form of fields (often known as attributes or properties), and code is in the form of procedures (often known as methods).

Key Principles of OOP

Encapsulation: Bundling the data (attributes) and methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit or class. It restricts direct access to some of the object's components.
Abstraction: Hiding the complex implementation details and showing only the necessary features of the object.
Inheritance: Mechanism by which one class can inherit the attributes and methods from another class, promoting code reuse.
Polymorphism: Ability to present the same interface for different underlying data types. It allows methods to do different things based on the object it is acting upon.

Example of OOP Concepts

Class and Object

A class is a blueprint for creating objects. An object is an instance of a class.

class Animal:
    def __init__(self, name, species):
        self.name = name
        self.species = species

    def make_sound(self):
        pass

class Dog(Animal):
    def make_sound(self):
        return "Bark"

class Cat(Animal):
    def make_sound(self):
        return "Meow"

# Creating objects
dog = Dog("Buddy", "Canine")
cat = Cat("Whiskers", "Feline")

print(dog.name)  # Output: Buddy
print(dog.make_sound())  # Output: Bark
print(cat.name)  # Output: Whiskers
print(cat.make_sound())  # Output: Meow

In this example:

Encapsulation: The Animal class encapsulates the attributes name and species and the method make_sound.
Abstraction: The make_sound method is defined in the Animal class but implemented in the Dog and Cat subclasses.
Inheritance: The Dog and Cat classes inherit from the Animal class.
Polymorphism: The make_sound method behaves differently based on whether it is called on a Dog or Cat object.

Last modified: 14 December 2024