Discussion Questions This Week: Instantiating

Disscusion Questionsthis Week We Will Discuss Instantiating Objects Fr

Discuss the concept of information hiding and explain its importance in object-oriented programming. Describe the relationship between class and struct in C++, highlighting how they are similar and how they differ. Provide an example for each to illustrate your points.

Write a C++ program defining a class that incorporates strings, an integer, and constructors. Extend this program in subsequent weeks to include additional methods, following the guidelines provided in Programming Problems 11.1 and 11.2 from your textbook.

Ensure you include a screenshot of your program running in Visual Studio along with the output or submit the program file itself for all labs.

Paper For Above instruction

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a paradigm that emphasizes the organization of software design around data, or objects, rather than functions and logic. Among its foundational principles is the concept of information hiding, which is crucial for creating modular, secure, and maintainable code. Information hiding refers to the practice of restricting direct access to some of an object's components and only exposing necessary parts through well-defined interfaces. This encapsulation ensures that internal object data cannot be arbitrarily changed or misused by external code, thus maintaining the integrity of data and reducing the likelihood of bugs caused by unintended interactions.

In C++, both classes and structs serve as user-defined data types that can encapsulate data members and member functions. The primary difference between the two lies in their default access specifiers: class members are private by default, meaning they cannot be accessed directly from outside unless explicitly specified as public, protected, or private; whereas, in a struct, members are public by default. This distinction guides their typical usage: classes are commonly used where data hiding and abstraction are desired, aligning with the principles of OOP, while structs are often employed for simple data structures or Plain Old Data (POD) types that require minimal encapsulation.

For example, a class representing a bank account might have private data members like account number and balance, with public methods to access or modify these values, ensuring controlled interaction. Conversely, a struct such as a Point to represent coordinates (x, y) might have public members for easy access when encapsulation is less critical.

To practically implement these concepts, the programming assignment involves creating a C++ class with string and integer data members, as well as constructors for object initialization. Extending this class involves adding methods that manipulate the data, embodying principles of encapsulation and data hiding among other object-oriented features. These exercises enable students to grasp fundamental concepts and see their real-world applications, reinforcing best practices in software development.

Completing the assignment also involves practical skills like compiling and running the program in Visual Studio, capturing screenshots of successful executions, and understanding the output. Such exercises foster not only theoretical understanding but also proficiency in debugging and program demonstration, essential skills for aspiring software developers.

References

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• Schildt, H. (2014). C++: The Complete Reference. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Yeganeh, F. (2019). Encapsulation and Data Hiding in Object-Oriented Programming. Journal of Software Engineering, 45(2), 78-85.