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Questions and Answers
What is composition over inheritance in object-oriented programming?
What is composition over inheritance in object-oriented programming?
Composition over inheritance is the principle that classes should favor polymorphic behavior and code reuse by their composition (by containing instances of other classes that implement the desired functionality) over inheritance from a base or parent class.
What is the role of interfaces in composition over inheritance?
What is the role of interfaces in composition over inheritance?
Interfaces are used in composition over inheritance to represent the behaviors that the system must exhibit. Classes implementing these interfaces are then added to business domain classes as needed to achieve the desired system behaviors.
How does composition over inheritance promote code reuse?
How does composition over inheritance promote code reuse?
Composition over inheritance promotes code reuse by favoring the use of composition, where classes contain instances of other classes, to implement desired functionality instead of inheriting from a base or parent class.
What is the book that discusses the relationship between composition over inheritance and object composition?
What is the book that discusses the relationship between composition over inheritance and object composition?
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Do composition over inheritance and inheritance work together?
Do composition over inheritance and inheritance work together?
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Study Notes
Composition over Inheritance
- Composition over inheritance is a fundamental principle in object-oriented programming (OOP) that favors combining objects to form a new whole rather than creating a new class that inherits behavior from an existing one.
- This approach promotes flexibility, modularity, and code reuse by allowing developers to create complex objects from smaller, independent components.
Role of Interfaces in Composition over Inheritance
- Interfaces play a crucial role in composition over inheritance by defining a contract that must be implemented by any class that wishes to participate in the composition.
- Interfaces enable loose coupling between objects, making it possible to swap out or replace components without affecting the overall system.
Promoting Code Reuse
- Composition over inheritance promotes code reuse by allowing developers to create new objects from existing components, reducing the need for duplicated code.
- By breaking down complex objects into smaller, independent components, developers can reuse these components in different contexts to create new objects.
Relevant Literature
- The book "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software" by the Gang of Four (Gamma, Helm, Johnson, and Vlissides) discusses the relationship between composition over inheritance and object composition.
Coexistence of Composition over Inheritance and Inheritance
- Composition over inheritance and inheritance are not mutually exclusive, and they can work together in certain scenarios.
- Inheritance can be used to create a hierarchy of objects, while composition over inheritance can be used to combine objects from different hierarchies to create new objects.
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Description
Test your knowledge on composition over inheritance, a principle in object-oriented programming that promotes code reuse and polymorphic behavior through composition. Explore the benefits and considerations of using composition over inheritance and assess your understanding of this important concept in OOP.