RSEConUK 2019

RSEs often need to work with code written in Fortran. Though most commonly thought of as a procedural language, modern Fortran features fully-fledged object-oriented programming (OOP) complete with inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism. This talk introduces the syntax and philosophy behind OOP in Fortran to those familiar with older versions of the language, showing how it naturally extends pre-existing features. It will also compare the Fortran approach to OOP to those used in other programming languages in a manner which can be understood by non-Fortran developers. Finally, this talk will reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of using OOP in Fortran and under what circumstances this is an appropriate paradigm.