Class
A C++ class is a user-defined data type that encapsulates information and behavior about an object. It serves as a blueprint for future inherited classes.
class Person {
};Class Members
A class is comprised of class members:
- Attributes, also known as member data, consist of information about an instance of the class.
- Methods, also known as member functions, are functions that can be used with an instance of the class.
class City {
// Attribute
int population;
public:
// Method
void add_resident() {
population++;
}
};Access Control Operators
C++ classes have access control operators that designate the scope of class members:
publicprivate
public members are accessible everywhere; private members can only be accessed from within the same instance of the class or from friends classes.
class City {
int population;
public:
void add_resident() {
population++;
}
private:
bool is_capital;
};Objects
In C++, an object is an instance of a class that encapsulates data and functionality pertaining to that data.
City nyc;Constructor
For a C++ class, a constructor is a special kind of method that enables control regarding how the objects of a class should be created. Different class constructors can be specified for the same class, but each constructor signature must be unique.
class City {
std::string name;
int population;
public:
City(std::string new_name, int new_pop);
};Destructor
For a C++ class, a destructor is a special method that handles object destruction, generally focused on preventing memory leaks. Class destructors don’t take arguments as input and their names are always preceded by a tilde ~.
City::~City() {
// Any final cleanup
}