What are the basic four pillars of OOP?
The four pillars of object-oriented programming (OOP) are:
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Encapsulation:
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Encapsulation is the process of bundling data (attributes) and methods (behaviors) together within a class.
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It allows for the hiding of internal data and implementation details, exposing only the necessary interfaces or public methods to interact with the object.
- Encapsulation helps in achieving data abstraction, ensuring data integrity and providing better control over the access and modification of object properties.
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Inheritance:
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Inheritance is a mechanism that allows a class to inherit properties and behaviors from another class, known as the base or parent class.
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It supports the creation of a hierarchical relationship among classes, where derived or child classes inherit and extend the attributes and methods of the base class.
- Inheritance promotes code reusability, as derived classes can reuse and build upon the functionality provided by the base class, avoiding the need to duplicate code.
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Polymorphism:
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Polymorphism refers to the ability of objects to take on multiple forms or behaviors based on their context.
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It allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common base class, enabling code to be written that can work with objects of various derived classes.
- Polymorphism is typically achieved through method overriding (runtime polymorphism) or method overloading (compile-time polymorphism).
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Abstraction:
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Abstraction involves simplifying complex systems by representing the relevant features and behaviors while hiding unnecessary details.
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It focuses on defining the essential characteristics of an object or system, without exposing the underlying implementation.
- Abstract classes, interfaces, and abstract methods are used to achieve abstraction in OOP, providing a blueprint or contract that defines the structure and behavior without specifying the implementation details.
These four pillars of OOP help in designing modular, reusable, and maintainable code by promoting concepts such as encapsulation, code reusability, flexibility, and abstraction. They form the foundation for organizing and structuring software systems using object-oriented principles.