Creating a class for only one object [closed]

Question

I think this is a pretty simple question, but I can't seem to find a good answer for it by googling.

While programming in C++ (as a beginner), I often like to organize my code using classes. But is there a reason to not create a class when I will only need one object for that class? When I learned about object oriented programming, I understood that classes are a way to describe certain objects when you need many of them.

I guess my question is simply: Is it common to create a class if only one object is needed of that class?

Answer 1

Even if you only need to instantiate an object of a class once, it is beneficial to create a class header file with its own variables and functions rather than defining them in main. Creating a class reinforces the concept of encapsulation, which makes the code more easily maintainable (you can reuse the class and/or update the functionality). Moreover, creating a class will keep the format consistent and make the code easy to read when you re-read it or invite someone to look over your program.