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This is just a question that is a curiosity as I was reviewing OOP. Can you have an ADT that is not in a class? So it'd all be separate functions. The language (it shouldn't matter, but in case it does) that I'm thinking in is Python 3.

martineau
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account
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  • Not all OO languages are class based. Javascript is a modern counterexample. Consider [prototype based vs. class based inheritance](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/816071/prototype-based-vs-class-based-inheritance). – jaco0646 Jul 15 '21 at 22:48

2 Answers2

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No. A data type (in Python at least) is by definition a class. In C, you have to simulate object-orientedness by having individual functions, but there still has to be a struct to hold the data. Otherwise, there's no "data type".

Tim Roberts
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Within the Python language, a data type is a class (with certain properties), so the trivial answer is no. In particular, one major characteristic that differentiates class (or data type) functionality from simple function calls, is that the defined data operations work seamlessly on the data type, or with trivial syntax, rather than having to specify every operation and operand in an explicit call.

Consider the statements:

# Fully functional, implicit data type operation
z = x + y

# Explicit data type operation, still within the class
z = x.add(y)

# Function call
z = add(x, y)

In the third instance, you have none of the built-in protections or encapsulations that come with a class. You can have a set of functions that just happen to coordinate to give you the desired results, but this is not an abstract data type.

Prune
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