Inherit

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Inheritance is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows the creation of hierarchical classifications. It provides a way to form new classes using classes that have already been defined. The new classes, known as derived classes, inherit attributes and behavior of the pre-existing classes, which are referred to as base classes.

Overview[edit | edit source]

Inheritance is one of the three primary characteristics of OOP, along with encapsulation and polymorphism. It allows programmers to create a general class first then later extend it to more specialized classes. This leads to a reduction in redundancy, and enhances the readability and reliability of the code.

Types of Inheritance[edit | edit source]

There are several types of inheritance, namely:

  • Single Inheritance: When a class extends another one class only, it's known as single inheritance.
  • Multiple Inheritance: When a class can inherit from more than one classes, it's known as multiple inheritance.
  • Multilevel Inheritance: When a class can inherit from a derived class, making that derived class a base for the next class.
  • Hierarchical Inheritance: When one class serves as a superclass (base class) for more than one subclass.
  • Hybrid Inheritance: A mix of two or more types of inheritance.

Inheritance in Different Programming Languages[edit | edit source]

Different programming languages support different types of inheritance. For instance, Java supports single, multilevel, and hierarchical inheritance, but not multiple and hybrid inheritance. On the other hand, C++ supports all types of inheritance.

Advantages and Disadvantages[edit | edit source]

Inheritance offers a number of advantages, such as code reusability and the addition of new features to existing code without modifying it. However, it can also lead to a high level of coupling between classes and can make the code more difficult to read in cases of multiple or multilevel inheritance. Template:Computer-programming-stub

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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD