Introduction to OOP in C++

Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) in C++

• Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of "objects," which contain data (attributes or fields) and code (methods or procedures).
• C++ supports OOP through classes and objects.
• OOP principles such as encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism are fundamental to C++.

Classes and Objects

• A class is a blueprint for creating objects. It defines the attributes (data members) and behavior (member functions) of objects.
• An object is an instance of a class. It represents a specific entity with its own data and methods.
• Data members (attributes or fields) hold the data associated with the object. These are variables.
• Member functions (methods) are procedures or functions that operate on the object's data.

Encapsulation

• Encapsulation is the mechanism of binding the data and methods that operate on that data within a class.
• Encapsulation hides the internal implementation details of a class from the outside world. Only public methods can access the private data within the class.
• Private data members can only be accessed from member functions within the class.
• It promotes data integrity and security since modification of internal data must be controlled through defined methods.

Inheritance

• Inheritance is a mechanism for creating new classes (derived classes) from existing classes (base classes).
• Derived classes inherit the attributes and methods of the base class.
• It promotes code reuse, reduces redundancy, and creates an "is-a" relationship between classes.
• This "is-a" relationship creates a hierarchical structure in the program.
• Single and multiple inheritance are different approaches to inheritance.

Polymorphism

• Polymorphism means "many forms." It allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common type.
• Through inheritance hierarchy, methods can have the same name but different implementations in different classes, allowing for flexibility and extensibility.

Abstraction

• Abstraction is hiding complex implementation details and showing only essential information to the user. It reduces complexity, allowing for simpler interaction with objects.
• In OOP, users only interact with the necessary information through public interfaces of classes.

Constructors and Destructors

• Constructors are special member functions that initialize objects when they are created.
• They are automatically called when an object is created and are essential for setting object state.
• Destructors are special member functions that are executed when an object is destroyed.
• They are used for deallocating resources and performing cleanup tasks.

Data Types and Variables

• C++ supports various primitive data types such as int, float, double, char, bool.
• Variables hold values of these data types.
• Data types and variables are essential in storing and manipulating information within C++ programs.

Operators

• C++ has various operators like arithmetic, logical, relational, and bitwise, used to perform operations on variables and objects.
• Operators allow for complex computations and manipulations of data.

Input/Output (I/O)

• C++ provides mechanisms using iostreams for reading data from and writing data to files, the keyboard, and other I/O streams.
• They perform read and write operations.

Error Handling

• C++ provides mechanisms for handling errors in the code through exceptions, which are objects representing unusual or exceptional situations.
• Error handling ensures the program does not crash unexpectedly, allowing for robustness by providing a means of managing and recovering from unusual conditions.