Choosing between Inheritance and Composition

Choosing between Inheritance and Composition



Aspect

Inheritance

Composition

Define

Inheriting a new class from an existing class.

Build a class by using instances of other classes.

Use case

When there is a clear hierarchical relationship

When it is necessary to model complex relationships

Flexibility

Less flexible, tight ties between the paternal and maternal generations.

More flexible, allowing changes without affecting other layers.

Reuse

Encourage code reuse through inheritance.

Encourage code reuse by combining behaviors.

Complexity

This can lead to complex and rigid hierarchical systems.

This can lead to code that is easier to understand and maintain.

Impact of revisions

Changes in the base class affect the derived classes.

Changes in component classes are localized.

Testing

Testing can be more difficult due to dependencies.

Testing is often easier because the components are independent.

For example

Animal Class -> Dog Class (Dogs inherit from Animal)

The Dog class has a Tail object (Dog with a Tail).




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