class

In object oriented programming, a class is a generalized category that describes a group of more specific items, called objects, that can exist within it. A class is a template definition of the methods and properties (variables) in a particular kind of object. Thus, an object is a specific instance of a class that contains real values instead of variables. The class is one of the defining ideas of object-oriented programming. Among the important ideas about classes are: A class can have subclasses that can inherit all or some of the characteristics of the class. In relation to each subclass, the class becomes the superclass. Subclasses can also define their own methods and variables that are not part of their superclass. The structure of a class and its subclasses is called the class hierarchy