Data Structures and Algorithms - ECE251 Tutorial 5

Data Structures and Algorithms - ECE251 Tutorial 5

• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): Tutorial covers fundamental OOP concepts, introducing the idea of classes and objects as blueprints and their instances. The presenter uses an analogy of blueprints for houses to illustrate the concept.
• OOP Terminology: Explains attributes (members) of a class and methods/behaviors (member functions) as functionalities within a class.
• Access Specifiers: Discusses the types of access to class members:
  • Public: accessible from outside the class.
  • Private: accessible only by members of the class itself.
  • Protected : accessible by members of the class and its derived classes (subclasses).
• Class Example (Rectangle): Provides a working example of a Rectangle class. It includes private members (width, length) and public member functions (setWidth, setLength, getWidth, getLength, getArea).
• Defining an Instance of a Class: Explains how to create objects (instances) of a class and how to access members of a class using the dot operator. Critically points out that direct access to private members generates compiler errors. Example given for the Rectangle class.
• Defining a Member Function: Explains the process of defining member functions within a class, including the use of class name and scope resolution operator (::).
• Using const With Member Functions: Explains the const keyword and its application in member functions. const member functions guarantee that the member function won't change data within the object.
• Classes and Objects: Illustrates that classes are blueprints and objects are real-world examples.
• Defining an Instance of a Class: Presents the instantiation of a Rectangle object.
• Avoiding Stale Data: Explains that some data is a result of calculation, and storing it in separate variables for the Rectangle length and width may make the data stale and inconsistent if you don't update all related variables.
• Constructors - Introduction: Defines constructors as member functions automatically called when an object is created, and emphasizes their critical role as the class name.
• Constructors - Passing Arguments: Explains how to create constructors accepting arguments and how they are used when creating objects.
• Overloading Constructors: States that a class can have multiple constructors, but overloaded constructors must have different parameter lists.
• Example Class (Inventory Item): Presents an example class for an Inventory Item with examples of overloaded Constructors using different parameter lists to construct objects with varying initial conditions.
• Dynamically Allocating an Object: Explains the use of pointers to dynamically allocate an object. This involves creating an object on the heap rather than on the stack. Crucial implementation steps are highlighted.
• Destructors: Discusses destructors as member functions called when an object is destroyed. These are key for cleanup tasks such as deallocating dynamically allocated memory.
• Arrays of objects: Explains how to create and work with arrays of objects that are instances of classes. Different methods of initializing these arrays from constructors are discussed. Shows arrays of objects are declared similar to primitive data types, and used for storing multiple object entities.
• Accessing Objects in an Array: Explains the access to an object in an array using object subscripts or individual object member functions. Example with the InventoryItem class.
• Inheritance: Explains how classes can inherit properties and methods from other classes, acting like a child inheriting traits from parents. Example of a Vehicle class and Car class that inherits.
• Encapsulation: Introduces encapsulation as a design methodology that hides internal state of objects, protecting the integrity of data through methods rather than direct access.
• Abstraction: Explains that Abstraction hides complex implementation details while exposing only necessary characteristics or methods (e.g., TV remote controls).
• Polymorphism: Explains the concept of polymorphism, where a single method can behave differently depending upon the object it is acting on. Example with Animal subclasses Cat and Dog.
• Employee Program: Illustrates OOP programming, accepting birth year as input from the user and generating the employee's age.

This tutorial focuses on Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts, including classes, objects, and their attributes and methods. It discusses access specifiers and provides a practical example of a Rectangle class. Gain a solid understanding of OOP terminology and how to define class instances for effective programming.