Skip to content

MultipleInheritance.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
27 lines (20 loc) · 1013 Bytes

MultipleInheritance.md

File metadata and controls

27 lines (20 loc) · 1013 Bytes

Multiple Inheritance (C++)

Definition

Multiple inheritance means a class derives from more than one base class.

Example:

  • Printer
  • Scanner
  • AllInOneMachine : Printer, Scanner

So AllInOneMachine can use members from both base classes.

Interview Quick Line

"Multiple inheritance allows a derived class to combine behavior from two or more base classes in a single type."

Minimal Example Flow

  • device.print() from Printer
  • device.scan() from Scanner
  • device.fax() from AllInOneMachine

Caution

Use multiple inheritance carefully. If base classes expose overlapping members, ambiguity can occur. In diamond-shaped hierarchies, C++ uses virtual inheritance to avoid duplicate base subobjects.

5-Year Interview Perspective

  • Prefer multiple inheritance for combining distinct capabilities, especially interface-like bases.
  • Be explicit when discussing ambiguity and the diamond problem.
  • If the design mixes stateful base classes heavily, composition is often cleaner.