If I can't "extend" the list and the create function, then there's really no code left to share. Practically all the shared code relies on the lists in some manner.
Essentially I am created a large number of "databases". It seemed to me that the most effective way to do this was to have a base class called database which has methods/functions for loading, saving, searching, etc and then extend it down to the individual types. Then all I have to have in each type is the code specific to loading/saving one record. The overall loading/saving can be done in the base class.
Isn't this the point of OO coding, and inheritance in particular? To save having identical code in lots of different places. Granted I'm very new to OO programming and I may be overlooking something very basic, but it's going to be very, very inefficient to have all of the code in every single database type. :/
Essentially I am created a large number of "databases". It seemed to me that the most effective way to do this was to have a base class called database which has methods/functions for loading, saving, searching, etc and then extend it down to the individual types. Then all I have to have in each type is the code specific to loading/saving one record. The overall loading/saving can be done in the base class.
Isn't this the point of OO coding, and inheritance in particular? To save having identical code in lots of different places. Granted I'm very new to OO programming and I may be overlooking something very basic, but it's going to be very, very inefficient to have all of the code in every single database type. :/