Beginning C# 3.0

15.3. Summary

This chapter completed our study of the three pillars of object-oriented programming: encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. Throughout this text I have stressed the importance of hiding your data inside a class or methods. In this chapter you learned how the protected access specifier permits you to encapsulate data, yet share it with derived classes as needed. You also learned how the base class serves as a common denominator for related, yet distinct, classes. Finally, you learned how polymorphism enables you to have each derived class react to messages in a way that is appropriate for it.

We've come to the end of our study. I have presented the essential parts of OOP, using C# as the vehicle to learn those concepts. Still, you can't really master a language until you take on a major coding project. The examples presented throughout the book were purposely kept simple so the concepts could be taught without our having to wade through a lot of complex code. Real life, however, is rarely so kind. If you have some project you've always wanted to write but used the excuse you couldn't find the time, that would be the project you should tackle to really learn C# and OOP.

If you are already coding in some other language and just stopped by to see what C# has to offer, I hope you agree that C# is a very nice language, capable of serious program development. Here, again, perhaps you might try your next project using C#. Personally, I think you'll be amazed at how ...