In programming, a combination of code, which is a sequence of instructions referred to as functions, along with data units, referred to as structures In the past, operating systems dealt with these entities separately The combination of function and structure, called an object, allows for significant advantages to programmers as well as the end users of software
adj Used to describe software that is highly geared towards distributor level marketing Since all software is written for financial gain, the "Object" is sales, and the packaging is "Oriented" to achieving this Also used to mistakenly identify early-binding programming environments that are not quite totally unlike Eiffel
A methodology that uses objects as the building blocks for software applications Objects are independent program modules that can be reused and interchanged between programs
A graphic described mathematically, as a series of lines, dots, curves, or vectors Object oriented graphics are resolution independent and scalable without distortion
Object-oriented software is all about objects An object receives and sends messages An object actually contains code (sequences of computer instructions) and data (information which the instructions operate on) Traditionally, code and data have been kept apart For example, in the C language, units of code are called functions, while units of data are called structures Functions and structures are not formally connected in C A C function can operate on more than one type of structure, and more than one function can operate on the same structure Not so for object-oriented software! In o-o (object-oriented) programming, code and data are merged into a single indivisible thing -- an object A primary rule of object-oriented programming is this: the user of an object should never need to peek inside the object
The concept behind this type of programming lies with an "object", meaning a software packet containing a collection of related data and procedures for operating on that data
a graphic image that is created with mathematical descriptions instead of pixels
the current "latest & greatest" programming method Structured programming taken to another level The object of object oriented programming is to program well tested "objects" that can be used over and over in different programs without further testing Legend has it someone, somewhere succeeded in this at least partially at least once Examples of Object Oriented languages are SmallTalk, C++ (properly pronounced "C incremented"), Java and Eifel Object oriented programming is useful to keep large programming projects reasonably organized
A program or graphic which used mathematically defined lines and shapes to describe text and graphics Information on object (text or graphics) is stored mathematically rather than as a bitmap
(OO) A system of concepts which is based on the central idea of breaking a complex situation into stand-alone entities or 'objects '