American InterContinental University Oriented Application Development Discussion

Modern applications can be complex and working on a programming team can raise that complexity even further. Classes offer a way to reduce that complexity by isolating teams from each other’s work. For example, one team can develop a class that includes all the necessary properties and methods for connecting the application to a database. Another team might develop a class that utilizes a remote Web service, such as package tracking at UPS or FedEx.

Discuss possible classes that might be used in an order handling system designed to manage a company’s orders that were placed by clients through the company’s Website. These classes may address any aspect of the system, including the orders themselves and their contents, payment, distribution/shipping, customer settings and information, settings and information for system users (employees), security, and reporting. Suggest properties and methods for these classes and explain how the class might be used.

In addition to suggesting custom classes, explain how these classes exhibit the concept of polymorphism, and the idea of information hiding in general. (Why make these custom classes? What functional utility does this serve?)