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Class-based programming
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<p>Class-based programming, or more commonly class-orientation, is a style of <a href="/facts/Object-oriented_programming/TxNMEcao">object-oriented programming</a> (OOP) in which <a href="/facts/Inheritance_(object-oriented_programming)/a7R1xv8n">inheritance</a> occurs via defining <i><a href="/facts/Class_(computer_programming)/zvzkSAtE">classes</a></i> of <a href="/facts/Object_(computer_science)/eX99dtAw">objects</a>, instead of inheritance occurring via the objects alone (compare <a href="/facts/Prototype-based_programming/x9oNIYPG">prototype-based programming</a>). </p><p>The most popular and developed model of OOP is a class-based model, instead of an object-based model. In this model, objects are entities that combine <i><a href="/facts/State_(computer_science)/4Yu8xXHS">state</a></i> (i.e., data), <i><a href="/facts/Behavior/0Y1VqmVX">behavior</a></i> (i.e., procedures, or <i><a href="/facts/Method_(computer_science)/8kAXxVYs">methods</a></i>) and <i><a href="/facts/Identity_(object-oriented_programming)/M8Pua97X">identity</a></i> (unique existence among all other objects). The structure and behavior of an object are defined by a <a href="/facts/Class_(object-oriented_programming)/zvzkSAtE">class</a>, which is a <a href="/facts/Definition/5SlGKKDJ">definition</a>, or <a href="/facts/Blueprint/wyJtXqKz">blueprint</a>, of all objects of a specific type. An object must be explicitly created based on a class and an object thus created is considered to be an <a href="/facts/Instantiation_(computer_science)/5zPBGdX1">instance</a> of that class. An object is similar to a <a href="/facts/Data_structure/yNsNvL1I">structure</a>, with the addition of method pointers, member access control, and an implicit data member which locates instances of the class (i.e., objects of the class) in the class hierarchy (essential for runtime inheritance features). </p>