Creating Superclasses and Subclasses

Definition

Creating superclasses and subclasses involves designing and implementing relationships between classes in an object-oriented program. Superclasses provide common attributes and behaviors that can be inherited by subclasses, allowing for code reuse and organization.

Analogy

Think of creating superclasses and subclasses like building a car. The superclass could be the base model of the car, which has common features shared by all its variations (subclasses). Each subclass represents a different model with additional unique features built upon the foundation of the base model.

Related terms

Encapsulation: Encapsulation is an object-oriented principle that bundles data and methods together within a class, providing data hiding and abstraction.

Method Overriding: Method overriding occurs when a subclass provides its own implementation of a method already defined in its superclass.

Abstract Class: An abstract class is a class that cannot be instantiated but serves as a blueprint for other classes. It may contain abstract methods that must be implemented by its subclasses.