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Inheritance in C++: Terminology and Notation

Welcome to the section of our C++ course repository dedicated to explaining the terminology and notation used in inheritance. Inheritance is a core concept of object-oriented programming (OOP) and C++, which allows new classes to be built upon existing ones. This README aims to simplify the jargon and symbols related to inheritance.

Basic Terminology

  • Base Class: Also known as the parent or superclass. This is the class from which properties and methods are inherited.
  • Derived Class: Also known as the child or subclass. This class inherits from the base class.
  • Inheriting: The process by which one class takes on the properties and behaviors of another class.
  • Member: A variable or a function that belongs to a class.
  • Overriding: Providing a new implementation for a base class's method in the derived class.

Inheritance Notation

In C++, we use a special syntax to denote that one class is derived from another. Here's the basic notation:

class DerivedClass : accessSpecifier BaseClass {
  // members of the derived class
};
  • The colon : symbol indicates that inheritance is taking place.
  • The accessSpecifier defines how the members of the base class are accessed in the derived class. It can be public, protected, or private.

Access Specifiers and Inheritance

The access specifier used during inheritance impacts the accessibility of the inherited members in the derived class.

  • Public Inheritance (public): Members that are public in the base class remain public in the derived class. Protected members remain protected, and private members are inaccessible.
  • Protected Inheritance (protected): Public and protected members of the base class become protected in the derived class. Private members remain inaccessible.
  • Private Inheritance (private): Public and protected members of the base class become private in the derived class. Private members remain inaccessible.

Common Terms in Inheritance

  • Constructor: A special member function that is called when a new instance of a class is created. Constructors of base classes are not inherited but can be called by the derived class's constructor.
  • Destructor: A member function called when an instance of a class is destroyed. Like constructors, destructors are not inherited.
  • Virtual Functions: Functions that are designed to be overridden in a derived class. When used with pointers or references, they allow for dynamic (run-time) polymorphism.
  • Abstract Class: A class that cannot be instantiated and often contains pure virtual functions. It is designed to be a base class for other derived classes.
  • Concrete Class: A class that can be instantiated, meaning it has implementations for all of its functions and no pure virtual functions.

Example of Inheritance Notation

class Animal {
public:
    virtual void speak() {
        std::cout << "Some sound" << std::endl;
    }
};

class Dog : public Animal {
public:
    void speak() override {
        std::cout << "Woof woof!" << std::endl;
    }
};

In this example:

  • Animal is the base class.
  • Dog is the derived class that inherits from Animal using public inheritance.
  • The speak function in Animal is a virtual function, indicating it's meant to be overridden.
  • The speak function in Dog uses the override keyword to clearly indicate that it is overriding a virtual function from the base class.

Conclusion

Understanding inheritance terminology and notation is crucial for working with C++ and OOP. It lays the foundation for building complex and efficient software systems. Through inheritance, we can extend the functionality of existing classes in a structured and logical manner.