159: Highlights

• C++ classes correspond to categories, and C++ class objects correspond to individuals.
• You can view data types as built-in classes, and you can view classes as user-defined data types.
• Class definitions generally include member variables, also known as slots or fields.
• If you want to define a simple class, with member variables only, then instantiate the following pattern, in which the member variable declarations consist of a data type, followed by one or more comma-separated member variable names, followed by a semicolon:

  class class name { 
    public: 
      member variable declaration 1 
      ... 
      member variable declaration n 
  }; 
  

• If you wish to use a class object's member-variable value, then instantiate the following pattern:

  class object's name.member-variable name 
  

• If you wish to assign a class object's member-variable value, then instantiate the following pattern:

  class object's name.member-variable name = expression; 
  

• C++ allows you to overload functions; C++ selects the right function, from among those with identical names, by matching argument classes and data types with parameter classes and data types.