Inheritance Concept

class Rectangle{
Polygon private:
int numVertices;
float *xCoord, *yCoord;
public:
Rectangle void set(float *x, float *y, int nV);
Triangle
float area();
};
class Polygon{ class Triangle{
private: private:
int numVertices; int numVertices;
float *xCoord, *yCoord; float *xCoord, *yCoord;
public: public:
void set(float *x, float *y, int nV); void set(float *x, float *y, int nV);
float area();
}; 1
};
 Inheritance Concept
class Polygon{
Polygon protected:
int numVertices;
float *xCoord, float *yCoord;
public:
void set(float *x, float *y, int nV);
Rectangle };
Triangle
class Rectangle{
protected:
class Rectangle : public Polygon{ int numVertices;
public: float *xCoord, float *yCoord;
float area(); public:
void set(float *x, float *y, int nV);
};
float area(); 2
};
 Inheritance Concept
class Polygon{
protected:
Polygon
int numVertices;
float *xCoord, float *yCoord;
public:
void set(float *x, float *y, int nV);
Rectangle };
Triangle
class Triangle{
protected:
class Triangle : public Polygon{ int numVertices;
public: float *xCoord, float *yCoord;
float area(); public:
void set(float *x, float *y, int nV);
};
float area(); 3
};
 Inheritance Concept
x
class Point{
Point y protected:
int x, y;
public:
Circle 3D-Point void set (int a, int b);
x x };
y y
r z

class Circle : public Point{ class 3D-Point: public Point{

private: private:
double r; int z;
}; };
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 Inheritance Concept
• Augmenting the original class
Polygon Point

Rectangle
Triangle Circle 3D-Point

• Specializing the original class

ComplexNumber real
imag

RealNumber ImaginaryNumber imag

real 5
 Why Inheritance ?

Inheritance is a mechanism for

• building class types from existing class types
• defining new class types to be a
– specialization
– augmentation
of existing types

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 Define a Class Hierarchy

• Syntax:
class DerivedClassName : access-level BaseClassName
where:
– access-level specifies the type of derivation
• private by default, or
• public
• Any class can serve as a base class
– Thus a derived class can also be a base class

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 Class Derivation
Point class Point{
protected:
int x, y;
3D-Point public:
void set (int a, int b);
};
Sphere
class 3D-Point : public Point{ class Sphere : public 3D-Point{
private: private:
double z; double r;
…… ……
}; };
Point is the base class of 3D-Point, while 3D-Point is the base class of Sphere
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 What to inherit?

• In principle, every member of a base class is

inherited by a derived class
– just with different access permission

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Access Control Over the Members
• Two levels of access control
base class/ superclass/ over class members
parent class – class definition
– inheritance type
members goes to
derive from

class Point{
protected: int x, y;
public: void set(int a, int b);
};
derived class/ subclass/
child class class Circle : public Point{
……
}; 10
 Access Specifiers Recap
1. Private:
• Members are only accessible within the class
itself.
• External objects cannot access private members
directly.
2. Public:
• Members are accessible from anywhere the
object is visible.
• Allows interaction with the outside world
using functions.
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 What is protected:
• A new access specifier used in class
• Members declared as protected can be
accessed:
– By member functions of the same class.
– By derived (subclass) classes.
• Unlike private members, protected allows
sharing with derived classes while
maintaining some level of encapsulation.

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 Inheritance and Accessibility

• The type of inheritance defines the access level for the

members of derived class that are inherited from the base
class

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 Class Derivation
class mother{ class grandDaughter : public daughter {
protected: int mProc; private: double gPriv;
public: int mPubl; public: void gFoo ( );
private: int mPriv; };
};
private/protected/public
int main() {
class daughter : --------- mother{
/*….*/
private: double dPriv;
}
public: void dFoo
mFoo((););
};

void daughter :: dFoo ( ){

mPriv = 10; //error
mProc = 20;
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};
 What to inherit?

• In principle, every member of a base class is

inherited by a derived class
– just with different access permission

• However, there are exceptions for

– constructor and destructor
– operator=() member
– friends
Since all these functions are class-specific
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Constructor Rules for Derived Classes
The default constructor and the destructor of the
base class are always called when a new object
of a derived class is created or destroyed.

class A { class B : public A

public: {
A() public:
{cout<< “A:default”<<endl;} B (int a)
A (int a) {cout<<“B”<<endl;}
{cout<<“A:parameter”<<endl;} };
};

output: A:default
B test(1); B 16
Constructor Rules for Derived Classes
You can also specify an constructor of the
base class other than the default constructor
DerivedClassCon ( derivedClass args ) : BaseClassCon ( baseClass
args )
{ DerivedClass constructor body }

class A { class C : public A {

public: public:
A() C (int a) : A(a)
{cout<< “A:default”<<endl;} {cout<<“C”<<endl;}
A (int a) };
{cout<<“A:parameter”<<endl;}
};
output: A:parameter
C test(1); C 17
 Define its Own Members
The derived class can also define class Point{
its own members, in addition to protected:
the members inherited from the int x, y;
base class
public:
x void set(int a, int b);
Point y
};
x
y Circle class Circle{
r protected:
int x, y;
class Circle : public Point{ private:
private: double r;
double r; public:
public: void set(int a, int b);
void set_r(double c); void set_r(double c);
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}; };
 Even more …
• A derived class can override methods defined in its parent
class. With overriding,
– the method in the subclass has the identical signature to the method
in the base class.
– a subclass implements its own version of a base class method.

class A {
class B : public A {
protected:
public:
int x, y;
void print ()
public:
{cout<<“From B”<<endl;}
void print ()
};
{cout<<“From A”<<endl;}
};
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 Access a Method
class Point{
class Circle : public Point{
protected:
private: double r;
int x, y;
public:
public:
void set (int a, int b, double c) {
void set(int a, int b)
Point :: set(a, b); //same name function call
{x=a; y=b;}
r = c;
void foo ();
}
void print();
void print(); };
};

Circle C;
Point A; C.set(10,10,100); // from class Circle
A.set(30,50); // from base class Point C.foo (); // from base class Point
A.print(); // from base class Point C.print(); // from class Circle
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Let’s Try!!!

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 Take Home Message
• Inheritance is a mechanism for defining new
class types to be a specialization or an
augmentation of existing types.

• In principle, every member of a base class is

inherited by a derived class with different
access permissions, except for the constructors

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Single Inheritance

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“Abstract” Base Class

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Access Combinations

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Access Combinations

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Levels of Inheritance

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Levels of Inheritance

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 Levels of Inheritance

As a more concrete example, suppose that we decided to add

a special kind of laborer called a foreman to the Employee
program. Since a foreman is a kind of laborer, the foreman
class is derived from the laborer class,

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