Question

A base class pointer needs a(n) ______ to be assigned to a derived class pointer.

Short answer

Question: In object-oriented programming, a base class pointer needs a ______ to be assigned to a derived class pointer. Answer: downcast

Step-by-step solution

Answer

The base class pointer needs a "downcast" to be assigned to a derived class pointer.

Understand the concept of Base Class Pointer

In object-oriented programming, a base class is a class that other classes inherit properties and behavior from. A base class pointer is a pointer that can store the address of an object of its own class or any class derived from it. It is used for achieving polymorphism, allowing a single pointer variable to hold the address of multiple types of objects in the inheritance hierarchy.

Understand the concept of Derived Class Pointer

A derived class is a class that inherits properties and behavior from another class, called the base class. A derived class pointer is a pointer that can store the address of an object of its own class or any class derived from it but not the base class. It is specific to the derived class and its hierarchy.

Understand the concept of Downcasting

Downcasting is the process of converting a pointer or reference of a base class type to a derived class type. In order for a base class pointer to be assigned to a derived class pointer, we need to perform downcasting. This operation is generally performed using either static_cast or dynamic_cast in C++.

How to perform downcasting

To downcast a base class pointer to a derived class pointer, you can use the static_cast or dynamic_cast, depending on the programming language and the situation. In C++, for example, if you have a base class called "Base" and a derived class called "Derived," you can downcast a Base class pointer (basePtr) to a Derived class pointer (derivedPtr) using the following syntax: Derived* derivedPtr = static_cast(basePtr);