What do you mean by inheritance? Explain types of inheritance with example.

 Inheritance is a mechanism in object-oriented programming that allows a new class to be based on an existing class. The new class, called the derived class, inherits the properties and behaviors of the existing class, called the base class. This enables code reuse and promotes modularity and flexibility in programming.

There are several types of inheritance:

1. Single Inheritance: In single inheritance, a derived class is created from a single base class. The derived class inherits all the properties and behaviors of the base class. For example:

class Shape {
   public:
      void setWidth(int w) {
         width = w;
      }
      void setHeight(int h) {
         height = h;
      }
   protected:
      int width;
      int height;
};
class Rectangle: public Shape {
   public:
      int getArea() {
         return (width * height);
      }
};

2. Multiple Inheritance: In multiple inheritance, a derived class is created from two or more base classes. The derived class inherits all the properties and behaviors of all the base classes. For example:

class Person {
   public:
      void setName(string n) {
         name = n;
      }
   protected:
      string name;
};
class Employee {
   public:
      void setSalary(int s) {
         salary = s;
      }
   protected:
      int salary;
};
class Manager: public Person, public Employee {
   public:
      void setDept(string d) {
         dept = d;
      }
   protected:
      string dept;
};

3. Multilevel Inheritance: In multilevel inheritance, a derived class is created from another derived class, which itself is derived from a base class. The derived class inherits all the properties and behaviors of the base class and the intermediate derived class. For example:

class Animal {
   public:
      void eat() {
         cout << "I can eat." << endl;
      }
};
class Dog: public Animal {
   public:
      void bark() {
         cout << "I can bark." << endl;
      }
};
class Bulldog: public Dog {
   public:
      void snore() {
         cout << "I can snore." << endl;
      }
};

4. Hierarchical Inheritance: In hierarchical inheritance, two or more derived classes are created from a single base class. Each derived class inherits all the properties and behaviors of the base class. For example:

class Vehicle {
   public:
      void start() {
         cout << "Vehicle started." << endl;
      }
};
class Car: public Vehicle {
   public:
      void drive() {
         cout << "Car driving." << endl;
      }
};
class Motorcycle: public Vehicle {
   public:
      void ride() {
         cout << "Motorcycle riding." << endl;
      }
};

Inheritance allows for code reuse and promotes modularity and flexibility in programming. By inheriting from existing classes, new classes can be created with less code and less complexity. It also enables classes to be organized into a hierarchy, with more general classes at the top and more specific classes at the bottom.