THINK++ — Engineering Visualized

Data Hiding

Encapsulation

The process of bundling data and the functions that operate on that data into a single unit (a class). It protects data from unauthorized access.

THE PATTERN

class BankAccount {
private:
    double balance; // Hidden data

public:
    void deposit(double amt) {
        if (amt > 0) balance += amt;
    }
    double getBalance() { return balance; }
};

PROTECTION

Prevents accidental modification of internal state by external code.

CONTROL

You can add validation logic inside setter functions to ensure data integrity.

BLACK BOX ANALOGY

An object is like a black box. Users know WHAT it does (through its public interface) but not HOW it does it (the private implementation).

Loading Lab...