Object-Oriented Programming

(oop)

A type of non-procedural programming where the emphasis is on data objects and their manipulation instead of processes.

In OOP objects are data structures encapsulated with routines, called methods, that work on the data. Only the methods can work on the data. Objects are grouped into class instances. The method code can change so long as all the interfaces remain the same. Classes are arranged in a hierarchy and methods in one pass to others in line (inheritance).

OOP started about 1970 with the SIMULA-67 language and is now part of virtually every computer language.

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