11.1 Object-oriented programming basics

Learning objectives

By the end of this section you should be able to

• Describe the paradigm of object-oriented programming (OOP).
• Describe the concepts of encapsulation and abstraction as they relate to OOP, and identify the value of each concept.

Grouping into objects

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a style of programming that groups related fields, or data members, and procedures into objects. Real-world entities are modeled as individual objects that interact with each other. Ex: A social media account can follow other accounts, and accounts can send messages to each other. An account can be modeled as an object in a program.

Encapsulation

Encapsulation is a key concept in OOP that involves wrapping data and procedures that operate on that data into a single unit. Access to the unit's data is restricted to prevent other units from directly modifying the data. Ex: A ticket website manages all transactions for a concert, keeping track of tickets sold and tickets still available to avoid accidental overbooking.

Abstraction

Abstraction is a key concept in OOP in which a unit's inner workings are hidden from users and other units that don't need to know the inner workings. Ex: A driver doesn't usually need to know their car engine's exact, numerical temperature. So the car has a gauge to display whether the engine temperature is within an appropriate range.