Inheritance
In C++, it is possible to inherit attributes and methods from one class to another. We group the “inheritance concept” into two categories:
- derived class (child) – the class that inherits from another class
- base class (parent) – the class being inherited from
To inherit from a class, use the :
symbol.
In the example below, the Car
class (child) inherits the attributes and methods from the Vehicle
class (parent):
Example
// Base class class Vehicle { public: string brand = "Ford"; void honk() { cout << "Tuut, tuut! \n" ; } }; // Derived class class Car: public Vehicle { public: string model = "Mustang"; }; int main() { Car myCar; myCar.honk(); cout << myCar.brand + " " + myCar.model; return 0; }
Why And When To Use “Inheritance”?
– It is useful for code reusability: reuse attributes and methods of an existing class when you create a new class.