The Object-Oriented Thought Process

The Object-Oriented Thought Process Third Edition Matt Weisfeld An introduction to object-oriented concepts for developers looking to master modern application practices. Object-oriented programming (OOP) is the foundation of modern programming languages, including C++, Java, C#, and Visual Basic .NET. By designing with objects rather than treating the code and data as separate entities, OOP allows objects to fully utilize other objectsrs" services as well as inherit their functionality. OOP promotes code portability and reuse, but requires a shift in thinking to be fully understood. Before jumping into the world of object-oriented programming languages, you must first masterThe Object-Oriented Thought Process. Written by a developer for developers who want to make the leap to object-oriented technologies as well as managers who simply want to understand what they are managing,The Object-Oriented Thought Processprovides a solution-oriented approach to object-oriented programming. Readers will learn to understand object-oriented design with inheritance or composition, object aggregation and association, and the difference between interfaces and implementations. Readers will also become more efficient and better thinkers in terms of object-oriented development. This revised edition focuses on interoperability across various technologies, primarily using XML as the communication mechanism. A more detailed focus is placed on how business objects operate over networks, including client/server architectures and web services. "Programmers who aim to create high quality softwareas all programmers shouldmust learn the varied subtleties of the familiar yet not so familiar beasts called objects and classes. Doing so entails careful study of books such as Matt Weisfeldrs"sThe Object-Oriented Thought Process." Bill McCarty, author ofJava Distributed Objects, andObject-Oriented Design in Java Matt Weisfeld is an associate professor in business and technology at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. He has more than 20 years of experience as a professional software developer, project manager, and corporate trainer using C++, Smalltalk, .NET, and Java. He holds a BS in systems analysis, an MS in computer science, and an MBA in project management. Weisfeld has published many articles in major computer trade magazines and professional journals.

Introduction Introduction This Book's ScopeAs the title indicates, this book is about the object-oriented (OO) thought process. Obviously, choosing the theme and title of the book are important decisions; however, these decisions were not all that simple. Numerous books deal with various levels of object orientation. Several popular books deal with topics including OO analysis, OO design, OO programming, design patterns, OO data (XML), the Unified Modeling Language (UML), OO Internet development, various OO programming languages, and many other topics related to OO development.However, while pouring over all of these books, many people forget that all of these topics are built on a single foundation: how you think in OO ways. It is unfortunate, but software professionals often dive into these books without taking the appropriate time and effort to really understand the concepts behind the content.I contend that learning OO concepts is not accomplished by learning a specific development method or a set of tools. Doing things in an OO manner is, simply put, a way of thinking. This book is all about the OO thought process.Separating the methods and tools from the OO thought process is not easy. Many people are introduced to OO concepts via one of these methods or tools. For example, years ago, most C programmers were first introduced to object orientation by migrating directly to C++--before they were even remotely exposed to OO concepts. Other software professionals were first introduced to object orientation by presentations that included object models using UML--again, before they were even exposed directly to OO concepts. It is not unusual to find that programming books and courses defer OO concepts until later in the learning process.It is important to understand the significant difference between learning OO concepts and using the methods and tools that support the paradigm. This came into focus for me before I worked on the first edition of this book when I read articles such as Craig Larman's "What the UML Is--and Isn't," In this article he states,Unfortunately, in the context of software engineering and the UML diagramming language, acquiring the skills to read and write UML notation seems to sometimes be equated with skill in object-oriented analysis and design. Of course, this is not so, and the latter is much more important than the former. Therefore, I recommend seeking education and educational materials in which intellectual skill in object-oriented analysis and design is paramount rather than UML notation or the use of a case tool.Although learning a modeling language is an important step, it is much more important to learn OO skills first. Learning UML before OO concepts is similar to learning how to read an electrical diagram without first knowing anything about electricity.The same problem occurs with programming languages. As stated earlier, many C programmers moved into the realm of object orientation by migrating to C++ before being directly exposed to OO concepts. This would always come out in an interview. Many times developers who claim to be C++ programmers are simply C programmers using C++ compilers. Even now, with languages such as C# .NET, VB .NET, and Java well established, a few key questions in a job interview can quickly uncover a lack of OO understanding.Early versions of Visual Basic are not OO. C is not OO, and C++ was developed to be backward compatible with C. Because of this, it is quite possible to use a C++ compiler (writing only C syntax) while forsaking all of C++'s OO features. Even worse, a programmer can use just enough OO features to make a program incomprehensible to OO and non-OO programmers alike.Thus, it is of vital importance that while you're on the road