Thread: Is there Data Abstraction in C Language?

Your project reviewers are correct: a struct brings different pieces of data under a single name. This is certainly a form of data abstraction since one can then think about the struct instead of each of its components (except where necessary).

To phrase the question in a more open ended way: what is data abstraction? Provide an example.

> So, are you saying that C also supports Data Abstraction?
Example, the FILE struct, which you only ever see in your own code as FILE*, and which in your own code there is never any attempt to dereference a FILE* pointer.

So, are you saying that C also supports Data Abstraction?

To some extent it does. You should answer my question since that is the heart of the issue.

Data Abstraction is organizing access to a program's data (eg.) arranging variable declarations and methods for accessing data.

So, what do you say now?

C does indeed support your notion of data abstraction. As you pointed out, structs organise access to data by grouping them. By providing an appropriate set of functions, one can then organise the access and manipulation of the grouped data.

So, then why is C not told as a Object Oriented Language? Data abstraction is a property of object oriented language.

Object oriented programming involves data abstraction, but data abstraction does not necessarily require object oriented programming. C does not have the kind of native support for some object oriented features such as inheritance and polymorphism that OOP languages have.

C can mimic OOP style by usage of function pointers. In fact, I believe this is the simple mechanism that C++ uses under the hood (more detailed and sophisticated, but at the end of the day.... function pointers are used in some manner) to support virtual functions.

C is more meant naturally as a procedural language and is more in line directly with how the computer handles and manipulates data. C++ allows new features, but uses the same old type of stuff to build said features.

So finally, the answer to the question "Can we have data abstraction in C?" is YES.

The data type like Stack, Queue...etc are perfect examples of data abstraction and those all are well implemented in C.

In C++, we achieve data abstraction through "Class".

This link might help you:
http://www.itmweb.com/essay550.htm

Originally Posted by MacGyver

C can mimic OOP style by usage of function pointers.

Yes, but that just seems silly. I think it makes more sense to regard "method calls" in C as external to the object. Which probably allows for greater flexability but a bit more astuteness from the programmer. Affects like "inheritance" can be accomplished the same way -- by conceptualizing differently.

"Proceduralism" and "Object Orientation" are not so mutually exclusive or anything.

I think you haven't noticed but this thread is around 2yrs old.