When it comes to object-oriented programming in Ruby, inheritance is a powerful tool that allows you to create new classes based on existing ones. This can help you to reuse code, simplify your codebase, and make it easier to manage your classes.
To create a subclass in Ruby, you simply need to use the class keyword followed by the name of your new class, and then specify the name of the class you want to inherit from using < symbol.
For instance, let’s say you have a Vehicle class that has all the attributes and methods that are common to all types of vehicles, and you want to create a Car class that has all the attributes and methods of a Vehicle, plus some additional attributes and methods that are specific to cars, such as start_car. You can create the Car class as a subclass of the Vehicle class.
class Car < Vehicle
# Your code here
end
Once you have created your subclass, you can use all of the methods and variables that were defined in the superclass. This can be incredibly useful for building on top of existing functionality without having to rewrite a lot of code.
For example, let’s say that the Vehicle class had a method called start_engine. You could use this method in your Car class like this:
class Car < Vehicle
def start_car
start_engine
puts "Car started!"
end
end
In this example, the start_car method calls the start_engine method that was defined in the Vehicle class, and then adds some additional functionality to start the car.
Inheritance is a powerful tool in Ruby that can help you to create more efficient, maintainable, and scalable code. By understanding how to create subclasses and use superclass members, you can take your Ruby programming skills to the next level.
In conclusion, inheritance is a fundamental concept in Ruby programming language that enables you to create new classes based on existing ones, allowing for code reuse and simplification. By creating subclasses, you can add additional attributes and methods to an existing class without having to rewrite the entire class. By using superclass members, you can build on top of existing functionality and take your programming skills to the next level.
