C/C++ & Object Oriented Jargon - 1

Template Class Vs Class Template

Template class: A generic definition or a parameterized class not instantiated until the client provides the needed information; jargon for plain templates

Class template: A class template specifies how individual classes can be constructed much like the way a class specifies how individual objects can be constructed; jargon for plain classes

Dangling pointer

A dangling pointer arises when you use the address of an object after its lifetime is over. This may occur in situations like returning addresses of the automatic variables from a function or using the address of the memory block after it is freed

Message Vs Method

Message
- Objects communicate by sending messages to each other
- A message is sent to invoke a method

Method
- Provides response to a message
- It is an implementation of an operation

Adaptor class Or Wrapper class

A class that has no functionality of its own. Its member functions hide the use of a third party software component or an object with the non-compatible interface or a non-object-oriented implementation

Class Invariant

A class invariant is a condition that defines all valid states for an object. It is a logical condition to ensure the correct working of a class. Class invariants must hold when an object is created, and they must be preserved under all operations of the class. In particular all class invariants are
both preconditions and post-conditions for all operations or member functions of the class

Stack Unwinding

It is a process during exception handling when the destructor is called for all local objects between the place where the exception was thrown and where it is caught

Pre-condition/Post-condition to a member function

Precondition: A precondition is a condition that must be true on entry to a member function. A class is used correctly if preconditions are never false. An operation is not responsible for doing anything sensible if its precondition fails to hold. For example, the interface invariants of stack class say nothing about pushing yet another element on a stack that is already full. We say that isful() is a precondition of the push operation

Post-condition: A post-condition is a condition that must be true on exit from a member function if the precondition was valid on entry to that function. A class is implemented correctly if post-conditions are never false. For example, after pushing an element on the stack, we know that isempty() must necessarily hold. This is a post-condition of the push operation

Container Class

A container class is a class that is used to hold objects in memory or external storage. A container class acts as a generic holder. A container class has a predefined behavior and a well-known interface. A container class is a supporting class whose purpose is to hide the topology used for maintaining the list of objects in memory. When a container class contains a group of mixed objects, the container is called a heterogeneous container; when the container is holding a group of objects that are all the same, the container is called a homogeneous container.

Polymorphism

Polymorphism refers to the ability to have more than one method with the same signature in an inheritance hierarchy. The correct method is invoked at run-time based on the context (object) on which the method is invoked. Polymorphism allows for a generic use of method names while providing specialized implementations for them

Function Overloading Vs Function Overriding

Overloading is a method that allows defining multiple member functions with the same name but different signatures. The compiler will pick the correct function based on the signature. Overriding is a method that allows the derived class to redefine the behavior of member functions which the derived class inherits from a base class. The signatures of both base class member function and derived class member function are the same; however, the implementation and, therefore, the behavior will differ