Object
A computational object is a runtime entity or structured value representing data, state, or a resource, with properties or operations defined by its programming model.
Get Programming: Learn to code with Python
A Python runtime entity that combines associated data with operations for interacting with that data.
- How it is used
- Organizes program values and behavior into named, usable entities, including objects created for a card game.
- How deep it goes
- Works through instance creation, independent attributes, dot notation, and how method calls supply the instance as self.
- Examples
- Uses two Circle instances with different radii, a Door class exercise, and objects in a card game.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch by defining a class, creating instances, and calling their methods in a program.
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Python How-To
Instantiation is the process of creating an instance of a class.
- How it is used
- Uses instances to model individual tasks and distinguish the objects from the variables and containers that reference them.
- How deep it goes
- Explains instantiation through __new__, __init__, and object identity, then examines references; does not attempt exhaustive coverage of objects.
- Examples
- Uses Task objects, printed memory addresses, attribute dictionaries, list searches, and a class-based decorator.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch by initializing a custom-class instance, then track its identity and references while using it.
Modern C
A data object is a C entity that occupies storage for a value.
- How it is used
- Distinguishes stored program state from the identifiers, types, and values used to describe and access it.
- How deep it goes
- Defines objects through initialization and storage, then relates identity, local instances, addresses, and byte representation without specifying physical placement.
- Examples
- Uses a zero-initialized variable, a designated array initializer, and shadowed variables with an `extern` declaration.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose/debug with it by telling distinct objects apart even when names are shadowed or recursive calls use the same local declaration.
The Well-Grounded Rubyist, Fourth Edition
Instantiation is the process of creating an object as an instance of a class.
- How it is used
- Uses objects to model domain entities that store information and respond to requests for actions.
- How deep it goes
- Explains construction, method calls, references, and changing behavior, while leaving detailed singleton-class mechanics beyond these examples.
- Examples
- Demonstrates Ticket.new and ticket.event, then adds a wings method to one Magazine instance.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch by defining a Ruby class, creating an instance with new, and calling its methods.
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Related concepts
- constructor methodproduced by · A constructor is a type-associated operation or callable that creates or initializes an instance and establishes its initial state.
- arrayincludes · An array is an indexed, ordered collection of elements arranged in one or more dimensions, with elements accessed by position.
- functionincludes · A function is a defined operation that maps inputs to outputs and, when implemented as a callable program unit, may also produce effects.
- sizeof operatormeasured by · The sizeof operator is a C and C++ unary operator that yields the size of a type or expression in bytes.
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