Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a type of programming paradigm in which programming tasks are modelled as entities or “objects” consisting of attributes and associated procedures, often referred to as methods. OOP is designed to reduce complexity and makes it easier to extend or modify existing code. As objects contain data and methods (operations to manipulate data), objects can communicate with each other.

Perhaps the best-known object-oriented programming language is C++, but there are many other languages that utilise the object-oriented approach, including Java, C#, JavaScript, Ruby and Python. Within the object-orientated programming paradigm, objects can be further organised into classes, which define standardised attributes and methods that all objects of the same type should share.

In object-oriented programming, the features of abstraction, inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation can be used to create an efficient programming structure. Abstraction allows for the definition of an object’s attributes and methods while hiding the internal implementation. This stops other parts of the program from manipulating the object’s internal state directly. Inheritance allows an object to reuse the behaviour or attributes of a different object. Polymorphism allows for the same behaviour to be reused across multiple objects. Finally, encapsulation describes the bundling of related attributes and behaviours into a single object.

The principles of OOP have become central to many modern programming languages and approaches, such as component-oriented programming. Software developers use OOP concepts to develop efficient, scalable, and reusable software solutions.