Chapter 10: Data Structures and Classes

Overview

This chapter builds upon the content from previous chapters, specifically variables, pointers, and functions. Up to this point, we have used single variables to hold numbers, characters, and Booleans, which worked well because our sample programs were never intended to be anything but sample material to simply practice and learn from. However, as programs are put to the test and used to develop large-scale products, the haphazard storage of variables makes our work confusing and overwhelming. Consequently, the need to manage, organize, process, and store data in a predictable and understandable way becomes fundamental. In this chapter we explore the arrangement and collection of data and the principles of object-oriented programming. In short, data structures and classes are examined. The former is a collection of data, and the latter is an extension of this idea. In this chapter, the following subjects are discussed:

• Data structures

• struct keyword

• Object orientation

• Classes

• Properties, methods, and access

• Virtual functions

• Polymorphism