ch9C++ Classes and Object
ch9C++ Classes and Object
In this tutorial, we will learn about objects and classes and how to use them
in C++ with the help of examples.
In previous tutorials, we learned about functions and variables. Sometimes
it's desirable to put related functions and data in one place so that it's
logical and easier to work with.
To handle this task, we can create three variables, say, length, breadth,
and height along with the functions calculateArea() and calculateVolume().
Create a Class
A class is defined in C++ using keyword class followed by the name of the
class.
The body of the class is defined inside the curly brackets and terminated
by a semicolon at the end.
CLASS SYNTAX
class className {
// some data
// some functions
};
FOR EXAMPLE,
class Room {
public:
double length;
double breadth;
double height;
double calculateArea(){
return length * breadth;
}
double calculateVolume(){
return length * breadth * height;
}
};
Here, we defined a class named Room.
The variables length, breadth, and height declared inside the class are
known as data members. And, the functions calculateArea() and
calculateVolume() are known as member functions of a class.
C++ OBJECTS
When a class is defined, only the specification for the object is defined; no
memory or storage is allocated.
To use the data and access functions defined in the class, we need to
create objects.
int main(){
// create objects
Room room3, room4;
}
Here, two objects room1 and room2 of the Room class are created in
sampleFunction(). Similarly, the objects room3 and room4 are created in
main().
room2.calculateArea();
This will call the calculateArea() function inside the Room class for object
room2.
room1.length = 5.5;
EXAMPLE 1: OBJECT AND CLASS IN C++ PROGRAMMING
Note the use of the keyword public in the program. This means the
members are public and can be accessed anywhere from the program.
As per our needs, we can also create private members using the private
keyword. The private members of a class can only be accessed from within
the class. For example,
class Test {
private:
int a;
void function1() { }
public:
int b;
void function2() { }
}
Here, a and function1() are private. Thus they cannot be accessed from outside
the class.
On the other hand, b and function2() are accessible from everywhere in the
program.
To learn more about public and private keywords, please visit our C++ Class
Access Modifiers tutorial.
EXAMPLE 2: USING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE IN C++ CLASS
double calculateArea() {
#include <iostream> return length * breadth;
using namespace std; }
Since the variables are now private, we cannot access them directly from main().
Hence, using the following code would be invalid:
// invalid code
obj.length = 42.5;
obj.breadth = 30.8;
obj.height = 19.2;
Instead, we use the public function initData() to initialize the private variables via
the function parameters double len, double brth, and double hgt.