C++ Multiple Inheritance

Multiple inheritance is a feature in C++ that allows a class to inherit from multiple base classes. It is a powerful mechanism that allows the derived class to inherit features from multiple parent classes.

Here are the steps involved in using multiple inheritance in C++:

  1. Define the base classes: First, you need to define the base classes from which the derived class will inherit. Each base class will define a set of member variables and member functions. For example, let's say we have two base classes called ClassA and ClassB.

  2. Declare the derived class: Next, you need to declare the derived class that will inherit from the base classes. You can do this by using the following syntax:

cpp class DerivedClass : public ClassA, public ClassB { // ... };

In this example, the derived class is named DerivedClass and it inherits from both ClassA and ClassB. The public keyword specifies the access level for the inherited members. Here, we are using public inheritance, which means that the public members of the base classes will be accessible in the derived class.

  1. Accessing inherited members: Once the derived class is declared, you can access the inherited members from the base classes using the dot operator. For example, if ClassA has a member function called functionA and ClassB has a member function called functionB, you can access these functions in the derived class as follows:

cpp DerivedClass obj; obj.functionA(); // Accessing functionA from ClassA obj.functionB(); // Accessing functionB from ClassB

  1. Handling name clashes: When using multiple inheritance, there might be situations where the derived class inherits two members with the same name from different base classes. In such cases, you can use the scope resolution operator (::) to specify which version of the member you want to access. For example:

cpp class DerivedClass : public ClassA, public ClassB { public: void functionA() { ClassA::functionA(); // Calling functionA from ClassA ClassB::functionA(); // Calling functionA from ClassB } };

Here, the functionA member is present in both ClassA and ClassB. By using the scope resolution operator, you can specify which version of the member to call.

  1. Object creation and destruction: When creating objects of the derived class, the constructors and destructors of all the base classes will be called automatically. The order of constructor and destructor calls follows the order in which the base classes are listed in the derived class declaration.

That's a brief explanation of the steps involved in using multiple inheritance in C++. It allows you to combine features from multiple base classes into a single derived class.