Understanding Polymorphism in C++

What is Polymorphism in C++?

Polymorphism is a fundamental concept of object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows objects of different types to be handled by a single interface. It refers to the ability of a program to process objects differently depending on their data type or class. In C++, polymorphism can be achieved through inheritance, virtual functions, and virtual operators.

Benefits of Polymorphism

• It gives you the power to add new features and functions to existing classes without modifying the existing code.
• It increases the readability and maintainability as different operations are abstracted from the calling code.
• It leads to a more extensible design that can accommodate changes more easily.
• It reduces code duplication which saves development time.

Examples of Polymorphism in C++

Polymorphism can be implemented in C++ using virtual functions and virtual operators. A virtual function is a member function of a class that is overridden by a derived class. A virtual operator is an operator that overloads an existing operator such as + or -.

For example, consider the following C++ code:

class Base {
public:
    virtual void print() { cout << "Base" <<endl; }
};

class Derived : public Base {
public:
    void print() { cout << "Derived" <<endl; }
};

int main() {
    Base *b = new Derived();
    b->print(); // prints Derived
    delete b;
    return 0;
}

In this example, the derived class is overriding the print() method of the base class. This is known as polymorphism since the same interface (the print() method) is being used to process different objects. By using polymorphism, the derived class has successfully extended the functionality of the base class without modifying the existing code.

Conclusion

Polymorphism is an important concept in OOP, allowing you to develop more reusable and extensible code. By using virtual functions and virtual operators, you can achieve polymorphism in C++ and make your code more versatile and robust.