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OOP Foundations

OOP Foundations

Object-oriented programming (OOP) provides a structured approach to designing software by modeling real-world entities as objects. In JavaScript, OOP revolves around key principles such as encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. These principles enable developers to write clean, modular, and reusable code, whether through object literals, classes, or inheritance.

This chapter covers foundational OOP concepts, illustrating how to create and manage objects effectively. Each concept builds upon the previous one, guiding you through three stages of OOP development:

  1. Object Literals: The simplest way to create objects in JavaScript, object literals allow you to define data (properties) and behavior (methods) within a single, self-contained unit. By encapsulating state and functionality, they make your code more organized and intuitive. This chapter demonstrates how to use object literals to represent and interact with entities, showcasing their flexibility and accessibility.

  2. Classes: As your applications grow, classes provide a more scalable approach to creating objects. Acting as blueprints for object creation, they enable a consistent way to define shared properties and methods. This chapter explains how classes streamline object creation, support encapsulation, and promote maintainable, reusable code. Examples include building sound objects with shared functionality using class syntax.

  3. Inheritance: A cornerstone of OOP, inheritance allows one class to extend another. It enables the creation of specialized subclasses that inherit properties and methods from a base class while introducing unique features. This chapter explores how inheritance supports abstraction and polymorphism, demonstrating the customization of shared behavior through overridden methods.

OOP principles are emphasized throughout with practical examples featuring visual and interactive components using the p5.js library. These examples highlight how JavaScript leverages OOP to create dynamic and scalable applications. Whether you’re modeling sounds, animations, or interactive objects, these concepts form the foundation of robust, object-oriented design.