Class Inheritance
Class inheritance is a fundamental object-oriented programming (OOP) concept where a new class (called a subclass or derived class) inherits properties and methods from an existing class (called a superclass or base class). It enables code reusability and hierarchical organization by allowing subclasses to extend or override inherited behavior. This mechanism supports polymorphism and encapsulation, forming the basis for modeling real-world relationships in software.
Developers should learn class inheritance to build modular, maintainable, and scalable applications, especially in object-oriented languages like Java, C++, or Python. It is essential for creating hierarchical data models (e.g., in game development with characters inheriting from a base 'Entity' class) and reducing code duplication by sharing common functionality across related classes. Use it when designing systems with 'is-a' relationships, such as in GUI frameworks where specific widgets inherit from a generic 'Widget' class.