Classes are important in object-oriented programming because they allow you to group related items as a unit as well as control their visibility and accessibility to other procedures. Classes also can inherit and reuse code defined in other classes.

In This Section

Classes - Blueprints for Objects

Provides an overview of encapsulation, inheritance, and shared members.

Classes vs. Standard Modules

Explains the differences between classes and standard modules.

Object Lifetime: How Objects Are Created and Destroyed

Discusses creating and disposing of class instances.

Using Constructors

Discusses how to initialize new instances of classes and dispose of resources when they are no longer needed.

Class Properties, Fields, and Methods

Explains the fields, properties, and methods that make up a class.

Related Sections

Creating and Using Objects

Demonstrates how to create and use instances of classes.

Inheritance

Describes how to define classes that serve as the basis for other classes.