Classes and objects

Object-oriented programming organizes a program around objects that bundle data and behavior together. A class is a blueprint that defines what data each object will have, called attributes or fields, and what it can do, called methods. An object is a specific instance created from that class, often by a special method called a constructor: a Dog class might define a name, an age, and a bark method, and each individual dog in the program is a separate object with its own name and age. Encapsulation bundles an object's data with the methods that work on it, and many languages, like Java, also let a class make its data private so other code must go through those methods, which helps protect the data from misuse. Inheritance lets a new class reuse and extend an existing one, so a GuideDog class could inherit everything from Dog and add its own abilities. Languages like Java and Python support objects, and they help organize large programs into understandable, reusable pieces.

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