Rapid Review Chapter 2 - 5 Steps To A 5

Front 1

Encapsulation

Back 1

The process by which on portion of a program is isolated from other portions with access limited to a generally small number of methods.

Front 2

Class

Back 2

A mechanism used in object-oriented programming to encapsulate a block of code and/or data.

Front 3

Method

Back 3

The general term used to describe a single service provided by (or behavior shown by) a class.

Front 4

Interface

Back 4

The collection of all methods provided by a class. (Warning: interface is also a keyword in Java that has a similar, but slightly different meaning.)

Front 5

Programming by Contract

Back 5

The idea that interfaces are specified in terms of contracts wherein a class that provides a service (or more precisely, the programmer of such a class) agrees to provide particular services for clients provided that the client first provides certain data (often expressed as preconditions.)

Front 6

Preconditions

Back 6

The stipulations put on the data provided to a method. Unless these stipulations are met, the programmer of the method is under no obligation to do anything. An assertion (precisely worded comment) that specifies what must be true for a method to succeed in its task; usually written in terms of the parameters.

Hint 6

None

Front 7

Postconditions

Back 7

A description of the results of a method invocation. It is the job of the programmer of the method to ensure that these results occur whenever the associated preconditions have been met. As assertion that specifies what will be true when a method terminates; usually written in terms of the return value or change of state.

Hint 7

None

Front 8

Information Hiding

Back 8

The idea that someone who used a block of code needs to know what the code does but does not need to know how it does it. Information hiding promotes reusable code and is therefore a desirable feature in a software system.

Front 9

Algorithm

Back 9

A step-by-step process for solving a problem,

Front 10

Inheritance

Back 10

A component of object-oriented design that permits data, methods, and/or algorithms to be shared among different data types that are related.

Front 11

Runtime Polymorphism

Back 11

A component of object-oriented design that causes each object in a system to behave in a specialized manner even when its properties are otherwise known only in a general way.

Front 12

Public

Back 12

A description of data and/or methods that a class provides for use by software from outside of the class.

Front 13

Private

Back 13

A description of data and/or methods that a class provides only for use within that class

Front 14

Protected

Back 14

A description of data and/or methods that a class provides only for use within itself and any inherited classes.

Front 15

Cohesion

Back 15

The degree to which a portion of a program (i.e. a class) can be viewed as an independent entity that performs a single task. Cohesion in program units is highly desirable.

Front 16

Coupling

Back 16

The degree to which one portion of a program depends upon how another portion of the program does its job. Since high degrees of coupling make it difficult to maintain large programs, high degrees of coupling are to be avoided if possible.