Object Oriented Programming

Object-oriented programming (OOP) focuses on creating reusable patterns of code, as opposed to procedural programming, which focuses on explicit sequenced instructions.

When working on complex programs in particular, object-oriented programming lets you reuse code and write code that is more readable, which in turn makes it more maintainable.

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There are other strengths of OOP, such as abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism. Some definitions:

Class: blueprint in code (e.g. a bicycle class might have a speed variable and a speedUp() method)

Object: instance of a class (e.g. Ronnie's bike)

Abstraction: means hiding implementation details from the user, e.g.: self.somethingElse = AnotherClass.someOtherMethod("who knows")

Encapsulation: grouping, hiding or protecting methods or variables within classes (such as using public and private keywords in C++, or double __underscore in Python).

Inheritance: when new objects (child) to take on the properties of existing objects (parent). Example: a circle class inherits the properties of a shape class.

Polymorphism: assigning a different meaning or usage to something in different contexts. in other words, the ability for an object to take on many forms. Example #1: a method draw() could be used with triangles, stars and boxes. Example #2: creating an abstract or virtual implementation, which must be redefined.