Benefits of OOPS

Before OOPs, the word programming always implied function oriented programming style (also called as Procedure Oriented).

This means that the entire problem/program is sub divided into set of functions and the functions are integrated together to resolve the problem.

The major drawbacks in procedure oriented programming are

• We have to edit the existing program each time, as per the requirements changes
• Lack of data security

OOPS is a set of rules which can be used to build more reliable and reusable systems.

There are many features which describes the concept of OOPS.

Lets try to understand benefits of these concepts by taking real-world scenarios.

1. Modularity for easier troubleshooting

Something has gone wrong, and you have no idea where to look. Is the problem in the Widget file, or is it the WhaleFlumper? Will you have to trudge through that “sewage.c” file? Hope you commented your code!

When working with object-oriented programming languages, you know exactly where to look. “Oh, the car object broke down? The problem must be in the Car class!” You don’t have to muck through anything else.

That’s the beauty of encapsulation. Objects are self-contained, and each bit of functionality does its own thing while leaving the other bits alone. Also, this modality allows an IT team to work on multiple objects simultaneously while minimizing the chance that one person might duplicate someone else’s functionality.

2. Reuse of code through inheritance

Suppose that in addition to your Car object, one colleague needs a RaceCar object, and another needs a Limousine object. Everyone builds their objects separately but discover commonalities between them. In fact, each object is really just a different kind of Car. This is where the inheritance technique saves time: Create one generic class (Car), and then define the subclasses (RaceCar and Limousine) that are to inherit the generic class’s traits.

Of course, Limousine and RaceCar still have their unique attributes and functions. If the RaceCar object needs a method to “fireAfterBurners” and the Limousine object requires a Chauffeur, each class could implement separate functions just for itself. However, because both classes inherit key aspects from the Car class, for example the “drive” or “fillUpGas” methods, your inheriting classes can simply reuse existing code instead of writing these functions all over again.

What if you want to make a change to all Car objects, regardless of type? This is another advantage of the OO approach. Simply make a change to your Car class, and all car objects will simply inherit the new code.

3. Flexibility through polymorphism

Riffing on this example, you now need just a few drivers, or functions, like “driveCar,” driveRaceCar” and “DriveLimousine.” RaceCarDrivers share some traits with LimousineDrivers, but other things, like RaceHelmets and BeverageSponsorships, are unique.

This is where object-oriented programming’s sweet polymorphism comes into play. Because a single function can shape-shift to adapt to whichever class it’s in, you could create one function in the parent Car class called “drive” — not “driveCar” or “driveRaceCar,” but just “drive.” This one function would work with the RaceCarDriver, LimousineDriver, etc. In fact, you could even have “raceCar.drive(myRaceCarDriver)” or “limo.drive(myChauffeur).”

4. Effective problem solving

Object-oriented programming is often the most natural and pragmatic approach, once you get the hang of it. OOP languages allows you to break down your software into bite-sized problems that you then can solve — one object at a time.

This isn’t to say that OOP is the One True Way. However, the advantages of object-oriented programming are many. When you need to solve complex programming challenges and want to add code tools to your skill set, OOP is your friend — and has much greater longevity and utility than Pac-Man or parachute pants.