Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Getting Started:
Object-oriented Programming

Getting Started with Classes, Interfaces, and Objects

The basic unit of executable code for object-oriented programming is the object, which encapsulates a specific set of state and behavior according to its type. The primary mechanism for defining the type of an object is the class, which specifies data members and methods for an object and its relationship to other classes. You can also define interfaces, which represent a type of class that specify method prototypes that any class which implements an interface must define. Once you have defined classes and interfaces, you need to consider how they can be used to implement an application.

The following sections describe how to define classes and interfaces, and manage the life-cycle of objects that you create with them:

Defining a class
Defining an interface
Managing the object life-cycle