Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) in C#

Introduction of OOPS:

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a fundamental paradigm in software development, offering a structured approach to organizing and designing code. OOP emphasizes the modelling of real-world entities and their interactions within a computer program. In this blog post, we'll explore the key concepts of object-oriented programming in C#.

Classes and Objects:

Classes: A class is a blueprint or template for creating objects. It defines the properties and methods that objects of the class will possess.

Objects: An object is an instance of a class. It represents a particular entity with its own attributes and methods. In C#, classes are declared using the ‘Class’ keyword.

Inheritance:

Inheritance allows a class to inherit properties and methods from another class. It promotes code reuse and enables the creation of hierarchical relationships among classes. In C#, inheritance is achieved using the ‘: baseclass’ syntax.

Encapsulation:

Encapsulation refers to the bundling of attributes and methods that operate on the data within a single class. It hides the internal state of an object and only exposes the necessary functionality through interfaces. It promotes data hiding and abstraction, enhancing code maintainability and security. In C#, encapsulation is achieved using access modifiers like public, private, protected, etc.

Polymorphism:

Polymorphism enables objects of different types to be treated uniformly, fostering flexibility and extensibility. It enables flexibility and extensibility in code, allowing methods to behave differently based on the object they are operating on. In C#, polymorphism is achieved through method overriding and method overloading.

Methods in OOP:

In OOP, methods are functions defined within a class that perform specific actions or computations. They encapsulate behaviour and are invoked on objects of the class. C# supports various types of methods including instance methods, static methods, virtual methods, and abstract methods.

Instance Methods:

Instance methods operate on individual instances of a class and can access instance variables.

Static Methods:

Static methods belong to the class rather than any specific instance. They can be invoked without creating an instance of the class.

Virtual Methods:

Virtual methods allow subclasses to provide a specific implementation by overriding the method in the base class.

Abstract Methods:

Abstract methods are declared in a base class but do not provide an implementation. Subclasses must provide an implementation for these methods.

Extension Methods in OOP:

Extension methods allow adding new methods to existing types without modifying the original type's code. They provide a convenient way to extend functionality without inheritance or modifying existing code. Extension methods are defined as static methods in a static class and are invoked as if they were instance methods of the extended type.

Properties in OOP:

Properties provide controlled access to the fields of a class. They encapsulate data and provide a clean interface for interacting with objects. Properties can have get and set accessors, allowing read and write operations, respectively.

Constructors in OOP:

Constructors are special methods used for initializing objects of a class. In C#, constructors have the same name as the class and are invoked automatically when an object is created. They can be used to initialize instance variables, set default values, or perform any necessary setup. C# supports various types of constructors:

Default Constructor: Constructor without any parameters.

Parameterized Constructor: Constructor with parameters to initialize instance variables during object creation.

Copy Constructor: Constructor that initializes an object by copying the state of another object of the same class.

Supported Versions and framework:

C# 1.0: Initial release with basic OOP features.

C# 2.0: Introduced generics, partial types, and anonymous methods.

C# 3.0: Added features like LINQ, lambda expressions, and extension methods.

C# 4.0: Introduced dynamic typing and named arguments.

C# 5.0: Added async programming with async/await.

C# 6.0, 7.0, 8.0: Continued to add new language features and enhancements.

C# can be used with various frameworks such as .NET Framework, .NET Core, and .NET 5/6, each supporting different versions of the language.

Languages that supports OOP:

Several programming languages support OOP, including:

Java

C++

C#

Python

Ruby

JavaScript

PHP