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How is polymorphism implemented in Objective-C, and how does it differ from polymorphism in other object-oriented programming languages?

2024-07-12

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In Objective-C, polymorphism can be achieved by using a pointer to the parent class to call a method of the child class. Specifically, you can define a pointer to the parent class and then assign the instance of the child class to this pointer. In this way, even if you use a pointer to the parent class to call a method, the child class method will actually be called.

It is important to note that Objective-C is a dynamic language, and its implementation of polymorphism is somewhat different from other object-oriented programming languages. In other statically typed languages, polymorphism is usually implemented through inheritance and method overriding. In Objective-C, due to its dynamic nature, polymorphism can be resolved at runtime based on the type of the object.

In addition, polymorphism in Objective-C can also be achieved through protocols. Protocols define a set of methods that any class that follows the protocol must implement. By using protocols, the same methods can be implemented in different classes, thus achieving polymorphism.

In general, polymorphism in Objective-C can be achieved by using a pointer to a parent class to call a child class method or by using a protocol. It has some differences from the polymorphism implementation in other object-oriented programming languages, mainly in the dynamic characteristics of Objective-C.