first-steps7 min

Classes: Grouping Data and Behavior

Functions let you reuse code. Classes let you group related data and functions together. Think of a class as a blueprint — define what something looks like and what it can do, then create as many instances as you need.

class Person
    string name
    integer age

    constructor(string personName, integer personAge)
        name = personName
        age = personAge

    functions:
        string introduce()
            return "Hi, I'm {name} and I'm {age} years old."

start:
    Person alice = Person("Alice", 28)
    Person bob = Person("Bob", 35)

    print(alice.introduce())
    print(bob.introduce())
    print(alice.name)

Hi, I'm Alice and I'm 28 years old.
Hi, I'm Bob and I'm 35 years old.
Alice

The constructor runs when you create a new instance and sets up the initial values. Access fields and methods with dot notation — alice.name, alice.introduce().

Classes can build on each other using inheritance:

class Animal
    string name

    constructor(string animalName)
        name = animalName

    functions:
        string describe()
            return "I am {name}."

class Dog is Animal
    string breed

    constructor(string dogName, string dogBreed)
        base(dogName)
        breed = dogBreed

    functions:
        string describe()
            return "I am {name}, a {breed}."

start:
    Dog rex = Dog("Rex", "Labrador")
    print(rex.describe())
    print(rex.name)

I am Rex, a Labrador.
Rex

Dog is Animal means Dog gets everything Animal has. base(dogName) calls the parent constructor. Then Dog adds its own breed field and overrides describe().

Quick recap

A class groups related fields (data) and functions (behavior) together
constructor(params) runs when you create a new instance
Access fields and methods with dot notation: alice.name, alice.introduce()
class Dog is Animal — Dog inherits everything from Animal
base(args) calls the parent constructor — required when using inheritance
Override a method by declaring it again in the child class