Introduction to Classes

A set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and concepts related to classes and object-oriented programming.

Procedural Programming

Focuses on the process/actions that occur in a program.

Object-Oriented Programming

Based on the data and the functions that operate on it.

Class

A blueprint for creating objects; contains declarations of variables and functions.

Object

An instance of a class.

Data Hiding

Restricting access to certain members of an object.

Public Interface

Members of an object that are available outside of the object.

Const Member Function

A member function that does not change any data in the calling object.

Accessors

Functions that retrieve values from private member variables without changing the data.

Mutators

Member functions that store or change values in private member variables.

Constructor

A member function that is automatically called when an object is created.

Destructor

A member function automatically called when an object is destroyed.

Default Constructor

A constructor that takes no arguments.

Overloading Constructors

Having more than one constructor in a class with different parameter lists.

Inline Member Functions

Functions defined inside a class declaration for short function bodies.

Pointer to an Object

A pointer that can define and access public members of an object.

Arrays of Objects

Objects as elements of an array, utilizing default constructors.

UML (Unified Modeling Language)

A set of standard diagrams for graphically depicting object-oriented systems.

Attributes

Members of a class.

Methods or Behaviors

Member functions of a class.

Access Specifiers

Control access to members of the class, e.g. public or private.