What is OOAD? Explain basic constructs of object orientation.

Question 1 of MCS-219: Object Oriented Analysis and Design.
OOAD (Object-Oriented Analysis and Design) is a software engineering approach that focuses on modeling a system as a collection of interacting objects. These objects represent real-world entities and combine data (attributes) with behavior (methods).
OOAD helps in understanding system requirements (analysis) and translating them into a robust, reusable, and maintainable software design (design).


Basic Constructs of Object Orientation

1. Object

An object is a real-world entity that has:

  • State (data/attributes)
  • Behavior (functions/methods)
  • Identity (uniqueness)

Example:
A Student object with attributes like rollNo, name, and methods like register().


2. Class

A class is a blueprint or template used to create objects. It defines:

  • Attributes (data members)
  • Methods (member functions)

Example:
class Student { rollNo, name, register() }


3. Encapsulation

Encapsulation is the mechanism of wrapping data and methods together into a single unit (class) and restricting direct access to some data.

Benefit: Data security and controlled access.


4. Abstraction

Abstraction means showing only essential features and hiding internal implementation details.

Example:
Using an ATM without knowing its internal processing logic.


5. Inheritance

Inheritance allows a class to acquire properties and behavior of another class.

Example:
Teacher and Student classes inheriting from a Person class.

Benefit: Code reusability.


6. Polymorphism

Polymorphism means one interface, many implementations. A single function or method behaves differently based on the object.

Example:
print() method working differently for Student and Teacher.


7. Message Passing

Objects communicate with each other by sending messages (method calls).

Example:
student.getResult() calls a method of the student object.


8. Dynamic Binding

The method to be executed is decided at runtime, not at compile time.

Example:
Method overriding in inheritance.


Conclusion

OOAD helps in building modular, scalable, and maintainable software systems by using object-oriented principles such as encapsulation, inheritance, abstraction, and polymorphism.

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