What is the difference between an abstract class and an interface in object-oriented programming, and in what situations would you choose to use one over the other?
An abstract class is a class that cannot be instantiated and is intended to be subclassed by concrete classes. It can contain a mixture of abstract and concrete methods, as well as instance variables. Abstract methods are defined but not implemented in the abstract class and must be implemented in the concrete subclasses. A class can only inherit from one abstract class.
On the other hand, an interface is a collection of abstract methods and constant values that can be implemented by any class. It does not contain any implementation details or instance variables. A class can implement multiple interfaces, but it cannot inherit from an interface.
The main difference between an abstract class and an interface is that an abstract class can provide some implementation details, while an interface only defines a set of methods that must be implemented by a class. Another difference is that a class can inherit from an abstract class, but it can implement multiple interfaces.
In general, you would use an abstract class when you want to provide some default implementation or common functionality to a set of related classes. You would use an interface when you want to define a contract that a class must follow, without providing any implementation details
In object-oriented programming, an abstract class is a class that cannot be instantiated and contains one or more abstract methods. An interface, on the other hand, is a collection of abstract methods that can be implemented by any class.
The main difference between an abstract class and an interface is that an abstract class can contain both abstract and non-abstract methods, while an interface can only contain abstract methods. Additionally, a class can only extend one abstract class, but it can implement multiple interfaces.
In terms of when to use one over the other, an abstract class is typically used when you want to provide a base implementation for a group of related classes, while still allowing for variation in certain methods. An interface is used when you want to define a set of methods that must be implemented by any class that uses the interface, regardless of its specific implementation.
Thank you, Natha Mohamed and Ajit Singh for providing detailed answer.
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