C++ Inheritance: Types, Modes, Constructor Ordering & The Diamond Solution

Inheritance allows a derived (child) class to inherit attributes and methods from a base (parent) class. This fosters code reuse and establishes logical taxonomies.

Solving The Diamond Problem with virtual Base Classes

#include <iostream>

class Device {
public:
    int powerRating = 100;
};

// Virtual inheritance ensures only ONE instance of Device is shared
class Printer : virtual public Device {};
class Scanner : virtual public Device {};

class Copier : public Printer, public Scanner {
    // Contains exactly one shared 'powerRating' instance!
};

int main() {
    Copier c;
    std::cout << "Copier Power: " << c.powerRating << "W\n"; // Zero ambiguity!
    return 0;
}