Object Oriented Programming Questions Medium
The 'abstract' keyword in object-oriented programming (OOP) serves the purpose of defining a class or a method as abstract.
When applied to a class, the 'abstract' keyword indicates that the class cannot be instantiated directly and serves as a blueprint for other classes to inherit from. It allows for the creation of abstract classes, which are meant to be extended by other classes. Abstract classes can contain both abstract and non-abstract methods, providing a common interface and shared functionality for its subclasses.
When applied to a method, the 'abstract' keyword indicates that the method does not have an implementation in the current class and must be overridden by any concrete subclass that inherits from it. Abstract methods are meant to be overridden and implemented in the subclasses, ensuring that each subclass provides its own implementation of the method.
In summary, the purpose of the 'abstract' keyword in OOP is to allow the creation of abstract classes that provide a common interface and shared functionality for subclasses, as well as to define abstract methods that must be implemented by any concrete subclass.