1. < programming > The prototype for an object in an object-oriented language ; analogous to a derived type in a procedural language . A class may also be considered to be a set of objects which share a common structure and behaviour. The structure of a class is determined by the class variables which represent the state of an object of that class and the behaviour is given by a set of methods associated with the class.
Classes are related in a class hierarchy . One class may be a specialisation (a " subclass ") of another (one of its " superclasses ") or it may be composed of other classes or it may use other classes in a client-server relationship. A class may be an abstract class or a concrete class .
See also signature .
2. < programming > See type class .
3. One of three types of Internet addresses distinguished by their most significant bits.
3. A language developed by the Andrew Project . It was one of the first attempts to add object-oriented features to C .
(1995-05-01)