Fundamentals

of Java
Fundamentals of Java
Learners Guide

2013 Aptech Limited

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means graphic, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or storing in information retrieval system or sent
or transferred without the prior written permission of copyright owner Aptech Limited.

All trademarks acknowledged.

APTECH LIMITED
Contact E-mail: [email protected]

First Edition - 2013

Dear Learner,

We congratulate you on your decision to pursue an Aptech course.

Aptech Ltd. designs its courses using a sound instructional design model from conceptualization
to execution, incorporating the following key aspects:

Scanning the user system and needs assessment

Needs assessment is carried out to find the educational and training needs of the learner

Technology trends are regularly scanned and tracked by core teams at Aptech Ltd. TAG*
analyzes these on a monthly basis to understand the emerging technology training needs for
the Industry.

An annual Industry Recruitment Profile Survey# is conducted during August - October

to understand the technologies that Industries would be adapting in the next 2 to 3 years.
An analysis of these trends & recruitment needs is then carried out to understand the skill
requirements for different roles & career opportunities.

The skill requirements are then mapped with the learner profile (user system) to derive the
Learning objectives for the different roles.

Needs analysis and design of curriculum

The Learning objectives are then analyzed and translated into learning tasks. Each learning
task or activity is analyzed in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required to
perform that task. Teachers and domain experts do this jointly. These are then grouped in
clusters to form the subjects to be covered by the curriculum.

In addition, the society, the teachers, and the industry expect certain knowledge and skills
that are related to abilities such as learning-to-learn, thinking, adaptability, problem solving,
positive attitude etc. These competencies would cover both cognitive and affective domains.

A precedence diagram for the subjects is drawn where the prerequisites for each
subject are graphically illustrated. The number of levels in this diagram is determined
by the duration of the course in terms of number of semesters etc. Using the precedence
diagram and the time duration for each subject, the curriculum is organized.

Design & development of instructional materials

The content outlines are developed by including additional topics that are required for the
completion of the domain and for the logical development of the competencies identified.
Evaluation strategy and scheme is developed for the subject. The topics are arranged/organized
in a meaningful sequence.
 The detailed instructional material Training aids, Learner material, reference material, project
guidelines, etc.- are then developed. Rigorous quality checks are conducted at every stage.

Strategies for delivery of instruction

Careful consideration is given for the integral development of abilities like thinking, problem
solving, learning-to-learn etc. by selecting appropriate instructional strategies (training
methodology), instructional activities and instructional materials.

The area of IT is fast changing and nebulous. Hence considerable flexibility is provided in the
instructional process by specially including creative activities with group interaction between
the students and the trainer. The positive aspects of web based learning acquiring information,
organizing information and acting on the basis of insufficient information are some of the
aspects, which are incorporated, in the instructional process.

Assessment of learning

The learning is assessed through different modes tests, assignments & projects. The
assessment system is designed to evaluate the level of knowledge & skills as defined by the
learning objectives.

Evaluation of instructional process and instructional materials

The instructional process is backed by an elaborate monitoring system to evaluate - on-time

delivery, understanding of a subject module, ability of the instructor to impart learning. As an
integral part of this process, we request you to kindly send us your feedback in the reply pre-
paid form appended at the end of each module.

*TAG Technology & Academics Group comprises members from Aptech Ltd., professors from
reputed Academic Institutions, Senior Managers from Industry, Technical gurus from Software
Majors & representatives from regulatory organizations/forums.

Technology heads of Aptech Ltd. meet on a monthly basis to share and evaluate the technology
trends. The group interfaces with the representatives of the TAG thrice a year to review and
validate the technology and academic directions and endeavors of Aptech Ltd.
 Aptech New Products Design Model

Key Aspects
1

Evaluation of
Scanning the user
Instructional
system and needs
Processes and
assessment
Material

2 6
Need Analysis
Assessment of
and design of
learning
curriculum

3 Design and
5
Strategies for
development of
delivery of
instructional
instructions
material 4


A little learning is a dangerous thing,
but a lot of ignorance is just as bad
 Preface

The book, Fundamentals of Java, aims to teach the basics of the Java programming language. The Java
programming language was created by Sun Microsystems Inc. which was merged in the year 2010 with
Oracle USA Inc. The merged company is now formally known as Oracle America Inc.

The Java programming language has undergone several reformations since its inception. This book
intends to familiarize the reader with the latest version of Java, that is, Java SE 7. Java SE 7 introduces
several new features as well as provides enhancements on the earlier versions. The book begins with
an introduction to the basic concepts of Java programming language and the NetBeans IDE. The book
proceeds with the explanation of the various Java features and constructs such as classes, methods,
objects, loops, inheritance, interfaces, and so on. The book concludes with an explanation of the concept
of exceptions and exception handling in Java.

This book is the result of a concentrated effort of the Design Team, which is continuously striving to bring
you the best and the latest in Information Technology. The process of design has been a part of the ISO
9001 certification for Aptech-IT Division, Education Support Services. As part of Aptechs quality drive,
this team does intensive research and curriculum enrichment to keep it in line with industry trends.

We will be glad to receive your suggestions.

Design Team


Nothing is a waste of time if you
use the experience wisely
 Table of Contents

Sessions
1. Introduction to Java 1

2. Application Development in Java 31

3. Variables and Operators 65

4. Decision-Making Constructs 111

5. Looping Constructs 141

6. Classes and Objects 173

7. Methods and Access Specifiers 211

8. Arrays and Strings 255

9. Modifiers and Packages 307

10. Inheritance and Polymorphism 341

11. Interfaces and Nested Classes 379

12. Exceptions 425



Learning is not compulsory
but neither is survival
 Session - 1
Introduction to Java
Welcome to the Session, Introduction to Java.

This session explains the various methodologies that have been adopted
over a period of time for solving problems and developing applications. It
proceeds to introduce object-oriented paradigm as a solution to develop
applications that are modeled to real-world entities, that is, objects.
Further, the session explains the concept of an object and a class in the
object-oriented programming. It introduces Java as an object-oriented
programming language (OOP) and a platform to develop platform
independent applications. Finally, the session explains the various
components of the Java platform.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Explain the structured programming paradigm

Explain the object-oriented programming paradigm

Explain the features of Java as a OOP language

Describe Java platform and its components

List the different editions of Java

Explain the evolution of Java Standard Edition (Java SE)

Describe the steps for downloading and installing Java

Development Kit (JDK)
 1
Session Introduction to Java

1.1 Introduction
The most prominent use of computers is to solve problems quickly and accurately. The solution adopted
to solve a problem is provided as a sequence of instructions or specifications of activity which enables a
user to achieve the desired result. For example, a problem could be about how to obtain a particular food
item from a restaurant with the least effort. Placing an order to the nearest restaurant over the phone for
the food item is one of the solutions to this problem.
The knowledge of a domain plays an important role while solving a problem. A domain is defined as the
field of business or technology to which a problem belongs. For example, in the restaurant scenario, the
knowledge of all the restaurants in nearby area forms the domain knowledge.
The knowledge about the restaurant as well as the type of food served can also be considered as domain
knowledge in this case. Having a good knowledge of the domain helps to solve the problem quickly.
In the scenario described, if the restaurant specializes in Mexican cuisine and you call them to order
Chinese food, then it would be a waste of time and effort. Here, if you had known the name of the
nearest restaurant that serves only Chinese food, it would have saved your time and effort. Hence, having
adequate domain knowledge before designing a problem solution is always recommended.
The solution for solving a problem in the field of information technology is achieved by developing
software applications. A software application can be defined as a collection of programs that are written
in high-level programming languages to solve a particular problem. In other words, it is a collection of
pre-written programs to solve specific application needs of end users.
Figure 1.1 shows the development of software application as a solution for managing various operations
in a banking domain. These operations are related to accounts, customers, payments, and various other
transactions that are carried out in a banking domain.
Concepts

Figure 1.1: Transforming a Problem into Solution

 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

As shown in figure 1.1, the development of software application is done using a programming language.
A programming language is used as a medium for communicating the instruction to the computer. The
programming language enforces a particular style of programming that is referred to as a programming
paradigm.

1.1.1 Structured Programming Paradigm

Earlier programming languages, such as C, Pascal, Cobol, and so forth followed structured programming
paradigm. In structured programming paradigm, the application development is decomposed into a
hierarchy of subprograms.
Figure 1.2 displays an application developed for bank with some of the bank activities broken down into
subprograms.

Figure 1.2: Decomposing of Problem into Subprograms

The subprograms are referred to as procedures, functions, or modules in different structured programming
languages. Each subprogram is defined to perform a specific task. Thus, to manage various bank processes,
the software application is broken down into subprograms that will interact with each other to solve the
business needs.
The main emphasis of structured programming languages was to decompose applications into procedures
to solve complex problems, whereas data was given less importance. In other words, the efficiency of
programs was measured on time and memory occupancy, rather than on how to control the data shared
globally between the procedures. Hence, most of the development efforts in the structured programming
languages were spent on accomplishing the solution rather than focusing on the problem domain.
This also often led to a software crisis, as the maintenance cost of complex problems became high and
the availability of reliable software was reduced.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited  of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Figure 1.3 shows handling of data in structured programming languages.

Figure 1.3: Data Shared Between Subprograms

1.1.2 New Paradigm: Object-oriented Programming Paradigm

The growing complexity of software required a change in the programming style. Some of the features
that were aimed for are as follows:

Development of reliable software at reduced cost.

Reduction in the maintenance cost.

Development of reusable software components.

Completion of the software development within the specified time interval.

These features resulted in the evolution of object-oriented programming paradigm.

The object-oriented programming paradigm enables you to develop complex software applications for
different domain problems with reduced cost and high maintenance. The software applications developed
using object-oriented programming paradigm is designed around data, rather than focusing only on the
functionalities.
Concepts

The object-oriented programming paradigm basically divides the application development process into
three distinct activities. These are as follows:
Object-oriented Analysis (OOA) This process determines the functionality of the system. In other
words, it determines the purpose of developing an application.

 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Object-oriented Design (OOD) This is the process of planning a system in which objects interact with
each other to solve a software problem.
Object-oriented Programming (OOP) This is the process that deals with the actual implementation
of the application.
Figure 1.4 shows different activities involved in the object-oriented software development.

Figure 1.4: Object-oriented Software Development

As shown in figure 1.4, the OOA and OOD phases deal with the analysis and designing of the software
application. These activities are carried out manually using a modeling language, Unified Modeling
Language (UML). The UML contains graphic notations that help to create visual models in the system.
The actual implementation of these visual models is done using an OOP language.
An OOP language is based on certain principles that are as follows:

Object Represents an entity which possesses certain features and behaviors.

Class Is a template that is used to create objects.

Abstraction Is a design technique that focuses only on the essential features of an entity for a
specific problem domain.

Encapsulation Is a mechanism that combines data and implementation details into a single unit
called class. It also secures the data through a process called data hiding where a user cannot
manipulate the data directly.

Inheritance Enables the developer to extend and reuse the features of existing classes and
create new classes. The new classes are referred to as derived classes.
Concepts

Polymorphism Is the ability of an object to respond to same message in different ways.

The main building blocks of an OOP language are classes and objects. They allow you to view the problem
from the users perspective and model the solution around them. Hence, a clear understanding of classes
and objects is important for application development using OOP language.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited  of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

1.1.3 Concept of an Object

An object represents a real-world entity. Any tangible or touchable entity in the real-world can be
described as an object.
Figure 1.5 shows some real-world entities that exist around everyone.

Figure 1.5: Real-world Entities

As shown in figure 1.5, the real-world entities, such as a car, flower, bike, or person are treated as objects.
Each object has some characteristics and is capable of performing certain actions. Characteristics are
defined as attributes, properties, or features describing the object, while actions are defined as activities
or operations performed by the object.
For example, the properties of an object, Dog, are as follows:

Breed

Color

Age
An object also executes actions. Thus, the actions that a Dog can perform are as follows:
Concepts

Barking

Eating

Running

 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

The concept of objects in the real-world can be extended to the programming world where software
objects can be defined.
Like its real-world counterpart, a software object has state and behavior. The state of the software
object refers to its characteristics or attributes, whereas the behavior of the software object comprises
its actions.
Figure 1.6 shows a software object, such as a Car with its state and behavior.

Figure 1.6: Software Object

As shown in figure 1.6, the object Car will have the state as color, make, or model. On the other
hand, the behavior of a car includes: driving, changing gear, increasing speed, and applying brakes.

The advantages of using objects are as follows:

They help to understand the real-world.

They map attributes and actions of real-world entities with state and behavior of software objects.

1.1.4 Defining a Class

In the real-world, several objects have common state and behavior. For example, all car objects have
attributes, such as color, make, or model. These objects can be grouped under a single class. Thus, it
can be defined that a class is a template or blueprint which defines the state and behavior for all objects
belonging to that class.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited  of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Figure 1.7 shows a car (any car in general) as a class and a Toyota car (a specific car) as an object or
instance created for that class.

Figure 1.7: Class and an Object

Typically, in an OOP language, a class comprises fields and methods, collectively called as members. The
fields are known as variables that depict the state of objects. The methods are known as functions that
depict the behavior of objects.
Figure 1.8 shows the design of a class with fields and methods in an OOP language.
Concepts

Figure 1.8: Class Design

 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Table 1.1 shows the difference between a class and an object.

Class Object
Class is a conceptual model Object is a real thing
Class describes an entity Object is the actual entity
Class consists of fields (data members) and Object is an instance of a class
functions
Table 1.1: Difference Between a Class and an Object

1.2 Java
Java is one of the most popular OOP language. It helps programmers to develop wide range of applications
that can run on various hardware and Operating System (OS). Java is also a platform that creates an
environment for executing Java application.
Java was initially developed to cater to small-scale problems, but was later found capable of addressing
large-scale problems across the Internet. Very soon, it gained in popularity and was adopted by millions
of programmers all across the world. Today, Java applications are built for a variety of platforms that
range from embedded devices to desktop applications, Web applications to mobile phones, and from
large business applications to supercomputers.

1.2.1 History of Java

Over the years, Java has undergone a series of changes and evolved as a robust language. The different
stages of evolution of Java are as follows:

Java Origins: Embedded Systems

In 1991, a team of engineers from Sun Microsystems wanted to design a language for consumer
devices, such as television, ovens, washing machines, and so on. The project was named as Green
Project and a team was formed that included James Gosling, Mike Sheridan, Patrick Naughton,
and other engineers to explore opportunities in consumer devices.
The language was required to be small, fast, efficient, and platform independent which could be
used to develop application for different platforms. Earlier languages, C and C++, were not preferred
as they used compilers that were dependent on a particular CPU. Development of compilers was
also expensive and time consuming.
Hence, efforts were taken to produce a portable and a platform independent language that would
Concepts

run on any machine and the result was the evolution of Java. It was initially called Oak, but was
later renamed to Java.

Java Wonder: Internet

In 1995, as Internet and Web started emerging and was used worldwide. Sun Microsystems turned
Java into a language of Internet programming.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited  of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

It emerged as a Web technology that added dynamic capabilities to the Web pages. In other words,
it allowed the developer to publish Web pages with Java code in it. Later, Java gained popularity
and served as ideal software for network computers.

Java Moved: Middle-tier

In late 1990s, Sun Microsystems revised middle-tier capabilities for Java to ensure that it runs on
the server-side. In 1997, Sun Microsystems defined Servlets for Java to generate dynamic HTML.
Web pages and defined Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) so that business logic could be developed us-
ing Java language. In 1999, Sun Microsystems offered a middle-tier solution for Java called Java 2
Enterprise Edition (J2EE).
Later, in 2006, Sun Microsystems released Java as free and open source software for further
adoption of the technology. If offered three versions of Java for free under General Public License
(GPL). The versions are as follows:
Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE) for building desktop applications.
Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) for building server-side applications.
Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) for building mobile or handheld applications.
Figure 1.9 shows the three-tier architecture with expansion of Java on the middle-tier or
application-tier.

Figure 1.9: Three-tier Architecture

Concepts

Java Ahead: Acquisition

In 2009, Sun Microsystems was acquired by Oracle Corporation which promised the overall expansion of
the Java community. In 2009, the project Coin was launched to enhance the Java programming language
with small changes. Also, Java EE 6 edition was released with simplified development and deployment
model. In 2010, the specification for Java 7 was approved by the Java Community Process (JCP).

10 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

1.3 Java: Object-oriented Programming Language

Java is a high level OOP language as well a platform used for developing applications that can be executed
on different platforms. The language derives most of its syntax from its predecessor languages such as
C++.
The objective of Java programming language is to develop applications that can be executed under
cross-platform environments. It is characterized by following features:

Simple Java programming language inherits its syntax from its predecessor programming
languages, such as C/C++. This helps the programmers to adapt to the basics of Java language
quickly, without any extra skills and extensive trainings.
Also, Java eliminates the use of pointers, operator overloading, and multiple inheritance features
supported by its predecessor languages. These features added more complexity to programs and
hence, were removed from Java.

Object-oriented Though, Java was influenced from its predecessor languages, but it was not
developed to be compatible with other languages. As a result, Java team was able to design and
incorporate a clean, reusable, and real-world approach for developing objects.
Java is based on the object model. Object model is defined by means of classes and objects that
are used to address the solutions closer to the real-world problem domains. In other words, it is a
pure OOP language that uses classes and objects. Even, the application development in Java starts
with a class designing.
Figure 1.10 shows the features of object-oriented programming paradigm supported by Java
programming language.

Concepts

Figure 1.10: Object-oriented Programming Paradigm

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 11 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Robust - The robust nature of Java is incorporated with strong memory management and
exception handling mechanism.
In C and C++ languages, dynamic memory allocation/deallocation was done manually by
programmers through pointers. For example, if programmer released memory that was being used
by some other program or forgets to deallocate the occupied memory, then it resulted in memory
related errors. However, Java eliminates these problems by automatically handling memory
allocation and deallocation. Objects are created in memory using new operator, whereas unused
objects are automatically destroyed using garbage collection mechanism.
Java also supports exception handling mechanism which stops the abnormal termination of code.
For example, operations such as dividing a number by zero or reading from a file before opening it,
can lead to exceptions at runtime. This exception handling mechanism is used to manage runtime
errors in Java program.
Java provides a strict compile-time checking at first level, followed by a run-time checking at second
level. The compile-time checking ensures that variables declared in Java program contain specific
type of data, whereas, run-time checking ensures the purity of Java code during execution. This
reduces runtime errors and helps in developing reliable applications.

Secure - Java applications are designed for distributed environments. This makes security an
important factor for consideration. The security checks applied at different layers ensures that the
Java programs are protected against malicious codes. For example, whenever any program is
downloaded from network, there is always a danger that the downloaded code might be a virus.
The virus might gather personal information, such as passwords or credit card details from the
local file system.
On the other hand, Java programs that are accessed on the network are known as applets. Applets
are Java codes executed within a browser. Java applies security to applets by placing them in a
sandbox. The sandbox model is based on a principle that ensures it should not have direct access
to files or resources available on the local system.
Apart from applets, Java Virtual Machine (JVM) which is a runtime environment for executing Java
programs applies its own security features to Java language. It ensures that the code loaded in JVM
for execution is well-formed and conforms to Java standards.

Architecture Neutral and Portable - One of the major programming issues faced by the
programmers is the portability of code. Portability means running the same code on different
platforms with different OS and processor. For example, a Java program executing successfully on
a system, may malfunction due to changes or upgrades in OS or processor in the future. Java
Concepts

solves the portability problem by converting the application into architecture neutral bytecode
during compilation. The bytecode is an optimized set of instructions that can be executed on any
platform on which the JVM is installed.
Apart from architecture neutral bytecode, Java has defined language specifications independent
of the hardware platform. Language specifications, such as size of the primitive data types and
operators are defined by Java.

12 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

This ensures that a change in OS, processor, and system resources does not lead to the malfunctioning
of the code. For example, in C language, an integer variable occupies either 16 bits or 32 bits
depending on the platform on which it is being executed. In Java, an integer variable, always
occupies 32 bits on whichever machine the code is executed. This feature satisfies the major goal
of Java language which is Write once, run anywhere.

Multithreaded - Java supports multithreaded programming. A multithreaded application can

perform multiple tasks simultaneously. For example, in a game application audio, video, and text
are executed simultaneously using the concept of threads. Multithreading allows a single program
having different threads to be executed independently at the same time. It is easy to work with
threads in Java as it has built-in language support.
Threads are also known as light-weight processes. Each thread runs independently without
disturbing the execution of other threads. During execution of an application, ready to run threads
are obtained from the pool of available threads and executed by the system CPU.

Distributed - Java is designed to support distributed programming in which resources can be

accessed across the network. It provides Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to handle
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP) and HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) on
the network. It also supports Remote Method Invocation (RMI) API that allows invocation of Java
objects remotely from other JVM running in different environment across the network.

Dynamic Java application is a collection of classes. During execution, the classes are stored in a
separate file and are loaded as and when required by the Java interpreter. This means that at
runtime an application can dynamically decide which classes it requires and accordingly load them
to expand its functionality. This gives a new perspective to Java for designing and developing
applications.

1.4 Java Platform

A platform is a combination of hardware and software which creates an environment for the execution
of an application. The Java platform provides an environment for developing applications that can be
executed on various hardware and OS.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 13 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Figure 1.11 shows the Java platform.

Figure 1.11: Java Platform

As shown in figure 1.11, Java platform is a software-only platform that runs on top of other
hardware-based platforms. It contains the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) with components namely, Java
Virtual Machine (JVM) and Java class library. The Java class library is also referred to as Java Application
Programming Interface (Java API).
The brief description of the JRE components is as follows:

JVM Programming languages, such as C and C++, translates the compiled code into an
executable binary code, which is machine dependent. In other words, the resulting executable
code is for a specific microprocessor which executes it. In Java, the compiled code is not translated
into an executable code. It is instead compiled and converted into a bytecode which is an
intermediate form closer to machine representation. In other words, the Java bytecode is an
optimized set of instructions executed by the Java runtime environment. This environment is
known as JVM.
The JVM is an execution engine which creates a platform independent execution environment for
Concepts

executing Java compiled code. The JVM is also known as a virtual machine because it is an imitation
of a Java processor on the physical machine.
There are different implementations of JVM available for different platforms, such as Windows,
Unix, and Solaris. Thus, the execution of same bytecode by different implementations of JVM on
various platform results in code portability and platform independence.

14 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Figure 1.12 shows the execution of same bytecode with different implementations of JVM on
various platforms.

Figure 1.12: Bytecode Execution on Different JVMs

Java API - Java platform is not dependent on specific OS for application execution and provides
its own comprehensive set of standard class libraries. The Java API is a large collection of ready-
made software components. These components are classes and interfaces that are grouped into
libraries. Each library with related classes and interfaces provide powerful capabilities to the
applications. The library is also referred to as a package in Java.
For example, the Swing library provides classes for User Interface (UI) components. Similarly, the
Input/Output (I/O) library provides the standard interface for reading and writing data into files
stored in the system.

1.5 Editions of Java

An edition represents a named bundle of Java related programs from Sun Microsystems. There are
Concepts

different editions of Java platform which are bundled with related sets of API. The bundled APIs help in
developing and executing applications on Java platform.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 15 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Figure 1.15 shows different editions of Java.

Figure 1.13: Editions of Java

As shown in figure 1.13, the brief description of these editions is as follows:

Java Standard Edition (Java SE) - Java SE is a base platform for other editions. Developers use
the Java SE platform to develop console and networking applications for desktop computers.

Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) - Java EE is built on top of Java SE platform. The Java EE
platform provides a standard specification for developing and deploying distributed, scalable, and
multi-tier enterprise applications. The enterprise applications are large
server-side business applications with complex business logics.

Java Mobile Edition (Java ME) - Java ME is a robust platform for developing embedded Java
applications for consumer electronic devices, such as mobiles, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs),
TV set-top boxes, and so on.

1.6 Components of Java SE Platform

The Java SE platform provides two software components namely, JRE and JDK.
Concepts

JRE JRE provides JVM and Java libraries that are used to run a Java program.

JDK Java Development Kit (JDK) is a binary software development kit released by Oracle
Corporation. It is an implementation of Java and distributed for different platforms, such as
Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and so on.

16 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

The JDK contains a comprehensive set of tools such as compilers and debuggers that are used to
develop Java applications. It also includes the JRE which creates an environment for executing Java
applications.
Figure 1.14 shows the different components of Java SE platform.

Figure 1.14: Components of Java SE Platform

As shown in figure 1.14, the JDK provides tools, utilities, and libraries that are used in Java application
development.
The brief descriptions of these tools are as follows:

Development Tools The Java platform provides different tools that form the foundation of JDK.
The development tools include tools used for compiling, running, debugging, and documenting a
Java application.
Figure 1.15 shows some of the development tools provided by JDK.
Concepts

Figure 1.15: Development Tools in the JDK

As shown in figure 1.15, javac is the compiler, java is the launcher, and javadoc is the
documentation tool.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 17 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

API The Java API provides the core functionality of the Java programming language. They offer
ready-made classes that provide functionalities ranging from basic objects to networking to XML
generation to database access.

Deployment Tools The JDK provides software, such as Java Web Start and Java Plug-In used for
deploying the developed applications to end users.

User Interface Toolkits The user interface toolkits, such as Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT),
Swing, and Java2D enables the developer to create graphical interfaces in a Java application.

Integration libraries Integration libraries enable developers to access and manipulate database
and remote objects in an application. These libraries include APIs, such as Java Naming and
Directory Interface (JNDI), Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI), Java Database Connectivity
(JDBC), and so on.

1.7 Evolution of Java SE

Java Standard Edition, popularly called Java SE, is a technology and platform that provides support to
build applications that have high functionality, speed, and reliability. Java SE Development Kit, popularly
called JDK, includes the necessary development tools, runtime environment, and APIs for creating Java
programs with the Java platform. The Java JDK has gone through several changes since, its first release.
Each release provides enhancements in the language features as well as in the runtime environment.
Initially, every release was referred with an internal version number that referred to the enhancements
in the libraries, but later on, as changes were significant, Sun Microsystems began to apply minor release
version number to its upgraded product. For example, the first release for version number 1.2 was
introduced as Java 2, as it marked the beginning of modern age for Java.
Table 1.2 lists the different releases of JDK with various new features that had been added with each
release.

Release Implementation
JDK 1.0 Creation of packages with classes in the standard library
JDK 1.1 Included an event delegation model for Graphical User
Interface (GUI) package AWT, JavaBeans, and Java Database
Connectivity (JDBC) API
JDK 1.2 (Java 2) Included a new graphical API, named Swing. Also added
APIs for reflection and collection framework (based on data
Concepts

structure)
JDK 1.3 Included a directory interface to lookup for components,
named, Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI)
JDK 1.4 Included regular expression API, assertions, exception
chaining, channel-based I/O API, an XML API for parsing and
processing

18 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Release Implementation
JDK 1.5 Included new features in the language such as for-each
loop, generics, annotations, and auto-boxing
JDK 1.6 Included script language, visual basic language support, and
improvements in the GUI
Table 1.2: JDK Releases

1.7.1 Java SE 7
Java SE 7 is the new major release of Java with internal version number as 1.7. The significant changes of
Java SE 7 have been made at the language and API level.
The lists of new features that are incorporated in the language are as follows:

The decision-making construct, switch statement can use the String class in the conditional
expression.

The integer types can be assigned with a binary number value. To specify a binary value, prefix the
number with b or B. For example, a byte type is declared and assigned a binary number, byte
numByte = 0b00100001;.

Java SE 7 supports the use of underscore character ( _ ) between the digits of a numeric value.
This feature improves the readability of code. For example, long ssnNumber = 1234 _
5678 _ 9101 _ 2345L;.

While handling exceptions in code, an expandable try statement called try-with-resources can be
used for automatic resource management. For example, a resource can be a file which needs to
be closed after the program is finished. The use of try-with-resource statement ensures that the
resources in Java program are closed.

Prior to Java SE 7, generic declarations informed the compiler about the type of elements a
collection will hold.
For example, a generic collection of type String was declared as,
List<String> nameList = new ArrayList<String>();
Now, in Java SE 7, the type arguments provided to the constructor of a generic class declaration can
Concepts

be replaced with an empty set of parameters (<>).

For example, List<String> nameList = new ArrayList<>();
nameList.add(A);
From the declaration, the compiler gathers information about the type of arguments.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 19 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Java SE 7 provides enhancement in exception handling mechanism. In exception handling code, a

single catch can be used to handle one or more exceptions.

In Java SE 7, compiler warnings generated for varargs methods has been improved.
Similarly, at API level, Java SE 7 enhances NIO framework and also adds a new framework named
Fork/Join. The Fork/Join framework supports parallel programming which is a technique that uses one
or more processors for executing the tasks concurrently. Thus, Fork/Join framework allows creating and
running concurrent tasks in a multiple processor environment.

1.8 Downloading and Installing the JDK

To develop Java applications, you need JDK installed on the system. Since, Oracle has acquired Sun
Microsystems; the different versions of JDK are available for installation at Oracles site.
Figure 1.16 shows the Web page displaying the latest Java Platform, JDK 7.

Figure 1.16: JDK Download Web Page

To download the JDK installer on the local system, perform the following steps:
Concepts

1. On download page, click Download button under Java with Java Platform (JDK) 7u11. This opens Java
SE Development Kit 7 Downloads Web page.

20 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Figure 1.17 shows the Java SE Development Kit 7 Downloads Web page for downloading the JDK.

Figure 1.17: Java SE Development Kit 7 Downloads Web Page

As shown in figure 1.17, the Web page displays the list of various platforms with their corresponding
download files. This Web page also provides demos and samples files to be downloaded for the
specific JDK.
2. Click Accept License Agreement. The agreement outlines that the user agrees to Oracle by installing
the JDK.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 21 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Figure 1.18 shows the Java SE Development Kit 7 Downloads Web Page with license acceptance.

Figure 1.18: Acceptance of License Agreement for Java SE

3. To download JDK 7 for Windows 32-bit OS, click jdk-7u11-windows-i586.exe under
Download.
Here, u11 indicates the minor updated version of JDK 1.7 that is being downloaded. It can also be
read as 1.7.0_11.
4. In the Save As dialog box, select the location to save the JDK installer and then, click Save. This saves
the executable file of the JDK installer on the system.
Concepts

22 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Figure 1.19 shows the Save As dialog box.

Figure 1.19: Save As Dialog Box

To install the downloaded file, double-click the installer icon and follow the instructions provided by the
JDK installer. The installer installs development tools, source code, and the JRE in the default directory,
C:\Program Files\Java.
Figure 1.20 shows the directory structure of the installed JDK on the system.

Concepts

Figure 1.20: JDK Directory Structure

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 23 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Table 1.3 lists the common directories that are part of the typical JDK installation.

Directory Description
bin Contains tools that are used for developing a Java
application, such as compiler and JVM
db Contains a relational database named Apache Derby
include Contains header files that are used to interact with C
applications
jre Represents the JRE used by the JDK
Table 1.3: Common Directories of JDK Installation

1.8.1 Configuring JDK

To work with JDK and Java programs, certain settings need to be made to the environment variables.
Environment variables are pointers pointing to programs or other resources. The variables to be configured
are namely, PATH and CLASSPATH.

PATH
The PATH variable is set to point to the location of Java executables (javac.exe and
java.exe). This is necessary so that the javac and java command can be executed from any
directory without having to type the full path.
The command for setting the path in DOS or Command Prompt window is as follows:
C:\>set path=<drivename>:\<installation_folder>\bin
To set the value for the PATH variable permanently on the system, perform the following steps in
Windows 7:
1. Right-click My Computer icon on the desktop and then, click Properties from the context menu.
2. Click Advanced system settings link on the left tab. This displays the System Properties dialog
box.
3. Under Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.
4. In the System variables area, select the PATH variable and then, click Edit button to enter the JDK
installation folder path.
5. Type path of the bin folder in the Variable Value text box. For example, the path can be: C:\
Concepts

WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0\bin.

24 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

CLASSPATH
CLASSPATH is an environment variable that specifies the location of the class files and libraries needed
by the Java compiler (javac) to compile applications.
The command for setting CLASSPATH in DOS is as follows:
C:\>set CLASSPATH=<drivename>:\<installation_folder>
To set CLASSPATH variable in Windows 7, perform the following steps:
1. Right-click My Computer icon on the desktop and click Properties from the context menu.
2. Click Advanced system settings link on the left tab. This displays the System Properties dialog
box.
3. Under Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.
4. In the System variables area, click New button.
5. Type CLASSPATH in Variable Name and then, type C:\<jdk _ installation _ folder> in the
Variable Value.
6. Click OK.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 25 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

1.9 Check Your Progress

1. Which of the following features of Java programming languages allows to execute multiple tasks
concurrently?

(A) Portability (C) Garbage Collection

(B) Multithreading (D) Exception Handling

2. Match the following terms against their corresponding description.

Term Description

a. Object 1. Represents the behavior of an object

b. Class 2. Represents the state of an object

c. Field 3. Template or blueprint

d. Method 4. Instance of class

(A) a-1, b-2, c-3, d-4 (C) a-2, b-1, c-4, d-3

(B) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1 (D) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2

3. Which of the following statements are true regarding Java platform and its components?

Java platform provides an environment for developing applications that can be

a.
executed only on Java hardware and OS
b. Java API is a large collection of ready-made software components
JVM is a comprehensive set of development tools used for developing
c.
applications
d. There are different implementations of JVM available for different platforms
e. Java APIs are used to run a Java program
Concepts

(A) c and d (C) b, c, and d

(B) a and e (D) a, b, and c

26 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

4. Which of the following edition provides a standard specification for developing and deploying
distributed, scalable, and multi-tier applications?

(A) Java Standard Edition (C) Java Micro Edition

(B) Java Enterprise Edition (D) Java Mobile Edition

5. Java SE 7 supports the use of _____ character between the digits of a numeric value.

(A) Hyphen (C) Comma

(B) Asterisk (D) Underscore

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 27 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

1.9.1 Answers
1. B
2. B

3. A
4. B
5. D
Concepts

28 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Summary
The development of application software is performed using a programming language that
enforces a particular style of programming, also referred to as programming paradigm.
In structured programming paradigm, the application development is decomposed into a hierarchy
of subprograms.
In object-oriented programming paradigm, applications are designed around data, rather than
focusing only on the functionalities.
The main building blocks of an OOP language are classes and objects. An object represents a
real-world entity and a class is a conceptual model.
Java is an OOP language as well a platform used for developing applications that can be executed
on different platforms. Java platform is a software-only platform that runs on top of the other
hardware-based platforms.
The editions of Java platform are Java SE, Java EE, and Java ME.
The components of Java SE platform are JDK and JRE. JRE provides JVM and Java libraries that are
used to run a Java program. JDK includes the necessary development tools, runtime environment,
and APIs for creating Java programs.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 29 of 456

 1
Session Introduction to Java

Try it Yourself
1. Check the directory structure of JDK 1.7 on your local system. Also, identify and list the various tools
provided by JDK 1.7. Prepare a table displaying the list of tools with their appropriate description and
commands to invoke the tools.
2. Find all the possible errors that might be generated due to incorrect use of PATH and CLASSPATH
variables. Also, identify the appropriate steps that can be taken to fix those errors. Note these errors
and solutions in a Notepad file.
Concepts

30 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 Session - 2
Application Development in Java
Welcome to the Session, Application Development in Java.

This session explains the basic structure of a Java class. It proceeds and
explains the step by step procedure to write a Java program in a text
editor. Further, the session explains NetBeans Integrated Development
Environment (IDE) and its various components. Finally, the session
demonstrates how to write and execute a Java application program using
NetBeans IDE and provides an overview of writing comments in Java
programs.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Explain the structure of a Java class

List and explain steps to write a Java program

Identify the benefits of NetBeans IDE

Describe the various elements of NetBeans IDE

Explain the steps to develop, compile, and execute Java

program using NetBeans IDE

Explain the various components of JVM

Describe comments in Java

 2
Session Application Development in Java

2.1 Introduction
Java is a popular OOP language that supports developing applications for different requirements and
domain areas. Some of the applications that can be developed using Java language are as follows:

Console-based and window-based applications.

Applets programs that are small Java codes embedded within an HTML page and executed within
a browser.

Server-side Web applications that are executed in the browsers. The Web applications developed
in Java contain components, such as Servlets, Java Server Pages (JSP), Java Server Faces (JSF), and
so on.

JavaBeans components are used to share the functionality between the various layers of an
application.

Enterprise applications using Enterprise components, such as Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) are
designed to be used for distributed computing.
All types of applications can be developed in a simple text editor, such as Notepad or in an environment
that provides necessary tools to develop a Java application. The environment is called as Integrated
Development Environment (IDE). The IDE is a software application that contains various tools, such as
source editor, a compiler/interpreter, debugger, navigator, and so on. These tools help you to develop the
software applications under a single environment. One such type of IDE is NetBeans IDE that is primarily
used for developing Java applications.

2.2 Structure of a Java Class

The Java programming language is designed around object-oriented features and begins with a class
design. The class represents a template for the objects created or instantiated by the Java runtime
environment. Thus, the development of a Java program starts with a class definition. The definition of
the class is written in a file and is saved with a .java extension.
Concepts

32 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.1 shows the basic structure of a Java class.

Figure 2.1: Structure of a Java Class

As shown in figure 2.1, the bold letters in the class structure are the Java keywords. The brief description
of these Java keywords is as follows:

package A package defines a namespace that stores classes with similar functionalities in them.
The package keyword identifies name of the package to which the class belongs. It also identifies
visibility of the class within the package and outside the package.
The concept of package is similar to folder in the OS. As folders are created to store related files in
the system, similarly packages are used to group similar classes and interfaces in Java. In Java, all
classes belongs to a package. If the package statement is not specified, then the class belongs to
the default package.
For example, all the user interface classes are grouped in the java.awt or java.swing pack-
ages. Similarly, all the classes related to Input/Output functionalities are found in the java.io or
java.nio packages.

import The import keyword identifies the classes and packages that are used in a Java class.
Concepts

They help to narrow down the search performed by the Java compiler by informing it about the
classes and packages used in the class. In Java, it is mandatory to import the required classes,
before they are used in the Java program.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 33 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

There are some exceptions wherein the use of import statement is not required. They are as
follows:
The import statement is not required for classes present in the java.lang package. This is
because java.lang package is the default package included in the entire Java program.
You do not need to import classes, if they are located in the same package. For example, if
the current package is com.java.company, any class present in this package can access the
other classes without using the import statement.
Classes that are declared and used along with their package name do not require the
import statement. For example, java.text.NumberFormat nf = new java.text.
NumberFormat();.

class The class keyword identifies a Java class. It precedes the name of the class in the
declaration. Also, the public keyword indicates the access modifier that decides the visibility of
the class. The public modifier means that the class is visible outside the package. Class name and
file name should match.

variables Variables are also referred to as instance fields or instance variables. They represent
the state of objects. They are known as instance variables because each instance or object of the
class contains its own copy of instance variables.

methods Methods are functions that represent some action to be performed on an object.
Code is written within methods. They are also referred to as instance methods.

constructors Constructors are also methods or functions that are invoked during the creation
of an object. They are basically used to initialize the objects.

2.3 Developing a Java Program on Windows Platform

The basic requirements to write a Java program are as follows:
1. The JDK 7 installed and configured on the system
2. A text editor
The text editor can be any simple editor included with the platforms. For example, the Windows platform
provides a simple text editor named Notepad.
To create, compile, and execute a Java program, perform the following steps:
Concepts

Create a Java program

Compile .java file

Build and execute Java program

34 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

2.3.1 Create a Java Program

Code Snippet 1 demonstrates a simple Java program that displays a message, Welcome to the world
of Java to the user. The program is written in a simple text editor, Notepad available on the Windows
platform.
Code Snippet 1:

public class HelloWorld {

public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println(Welcome to the world of Java);
}
}

The step by step explanation of the different parts of Java program is as follows:
Step 1: Class Declaration
The syntax to declare a class is as follows:
Syntax:
class <class_name> {
}
where,
class is a keyword and <classname> is the class name.
The entire class definition and its members must be written within the opening and closing curly braces,
{ }. In other words, the class declaration is enclosed within a code block. Code blocks are defined within
braces. The braces inform the compiler about the beginning and end of a class. The area between the
braces is known as the class body and contains the code for that class.
In Code Snippet 1, class Helloworld { }, HelloWorld is the name of the class.
Step 2: Write the main method
The main() method is the entry point for an application. In other words, all Java applications begins
execution by invoking the main() method.
The syntax to write the main() method is as follows:
Syntax:
Concepts

public static void main(String[] args) {

// block of statements

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 35 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

where,
public: Is a keyword that enables the JVM to access the main() method.
static: Is a keyword that allows a method to be called from outside a class without creating an instance
of the class.
void: Is a keyword that represents the data type of the value returned by the main() method. It informs
the compiler that the method will not return any value.
args: Is an array of type String and stores command line arguments. String is a class in Java and
stores group of characters.
Step 3: Write desired functionality
In this step, actionable statements are written within the methods. Code Snippet 1 illustrates the use
of a built-in method, println()that is used to display a string as an output. The string is passed as a
parameter to the method.
System.out.println(Welcome to the world of Java);
System.out.println() statement displays the string that is passed as an argument. System is the
predefined class and provides access to the system resources, such as console and out is the output
stream connected to the console.
Step 4: Save the program
Save the file with a .java extension. The name of the file plays a very important role in Java. A .java
extension is a must for a Java program. In Java, the code must reside in a class and hence, the class name
and the file name should be same in most of the cases.
To save the HelloWorld.java program, click FileSave As in Notepad and enter HelloWorld.
java in the File name box. The quotation marks are provided to avoid saving the file with extension
HelloWorld.java.txt.
Concepts

36 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.2 shows the Save As dialog box to save the HelloWorld.java file.

Figure 2.2: Notepad Editor - Save As Dialog Box

Click Save to save the file on the system.

2.3.2 Compile .java File

The HelloWorld.java file is known as source code file. It is compiled by invoking tool named
javac.exe, which compiles the source code into a .class file. The .class file contains the bytecode
that is interpreted and converted into machine code before execution. To run the program, the Java
interpreter, java.exe is required which will interpret and run the program.
Figure 2.3 shows the compilation process of the Java program.
Concepts

Figure 2.3: Compilation of Java Program

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 37 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

To compile the HelloWorld.java program from the Windows platform, the user can click Start menu,
choose Run, and enter the cmd command to display the Command Prompt window.
Figure 2.4 shows the Command Prompt window with the current directory. Normally, the current
directory is the home directory of the user.

Figure 2.4: Command Prompt

To compile the Java application, developer should change the current directory to the directory in which
the .java file is located. In this case, the directory is H:\Java.
To change the directory path, perform the following steps:
a. Type the command H: and press Enter.
b. Type cd Java and press Enter.
c. Type dir command to view the source file, HelloWorld.java.
These commands set the drive and directory path to the directory containing .java file.
Figure 2.5 shows the commands on the Command Prompt window for changing the directory path to
H:\Java.
Concepts

Figure 2.5: Command Prompt Change Drive and Directory

As shown in figure 2.5, the dir command displays the HelloWorld.java file in the current directory.

38 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Next, the program needs to be compiled using the javac.exe command.

The syntax to use the javac.exe command is as follows:
Syntax:
javac [option] source
where,
source: Is one or more file names that end with a .java extension.
Type the command, javac HelloWorld.java and press Enter.
This command will generate a file named HelloWorld.class in the current directory. This means that
the HelloWorld class is the compiled class with the main() method in it. This class is assigned to the
Java runtime environment, that is, JVM for execution.
Table 2.1 lists some of the options that can be used with the javac command.

Option Description
-classpath Specifies the location for the imported classes (overrides the
CLASSPATH environment variable)
-d Specifies the destination directory for the generated class files
-g Prints all debugging information instead of the default line number
and file name
-verbose Generates message while the class is being compiled
-version Displays version information
sourcepath Specifies the location of the input source file
-help Prints a synopsis of standard options
Table 2.1: Options for javac Command
For example, javac -d c:\ HelloWorld.java will create and save HelloWorld.class file in the
C:\ drive.

Note - If the source file defines more than one classes, then after compilation, each class is compiled
into the separate .class file. The file that can be given for execution to JVM is the class with the
main() method defined in it.

2.3.3 Build and Execute Java Program

Concepts

The JVM is at the heart of the Java programming language and is responsible for executing the .class
file or bytecode file. The portability feature of the .class file has made the principle of Java write once,
run anywhere possible. The .class file can be executed on any computer or device, that has the JVM
implemented on it.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 39 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.6 shows the components of JVM involved in the execution of the compiled bytecode.

Figure 2.6: Components of JVM

As shown in figure 2.6, the class loader component of JVM loads all the necessary classes from the
runtime libraries required for execution of the compiled bytecode. The bytecode verifier then checks the
code to ensure that it adheres to the JVM specification. This ensures that the bytecode does not contain
any untrusted code or illegal instructions. Next, the bytecode is executed by the interpreter. To boost the
speed of execution, in Java version 2.0, a Hot Spot Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler was included at runtime.
During execution, the JIT compiler compiles some of the code into native code or platform-specific code
to boosts the performance.
The Java interpreter command, java is used to interpret and run the Java bytecode. It takes the name of
a class file as an argument for execution.
The syntax to use the java.exe command is as follows:
Syntax:
java [option] classname [arguments]
where,
classname: Is the name of the class file.
Concepts

arguments: Is the arguments passed to the main function.

To execute the HelloWorld class, type the command, java HelloWorld and press Enter.

40 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.7 shows the output of the Java program on the Command Prompt window.

Figure 2.7: Output of HelloWorld Program

Table 2.2 lists some of the options that can be used with the java command.

Options Description
classpath Specifies the location for importing classes (overrides the
CLASSPATH environment variable)
-v or -verbose Produces additional output about each class loaded and each
source file compiled
-version Displays version information and exits
-jar Uses a JAR file name instead of a class name
-help Displays information about help and exits
-X Displays information about non-standard options and exits
Table 2.2: Options for java Command

2.4 NetBeans IDE

NetBeans is an open source integrated development environment written purely in Java. It is a free and
Concepts

robust IDE that helps developers to create cross-platform desktop, Web, and mobile applications using
Java. As compared to an editor, such as Notepad, the coding in NetBeans IDE is completed faster because
of its features, such as code completions, code template, and fix import. It also supports debugging of an
application in the source editor.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 41 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Some of the benefits of using NetBeans IDE for Java application development are as follows:

Builds IDE plug-in modules and supports rich client applications on the NetBeans platform.

Provides graphical user interface for building, compiling, debugging, and packaging of applications.

Provides simple and user-friendly IDE configuration.

2.4.1 Elements of NetBeans IDE

The NetBeans IDE has the following elements and views:

Menu Bar

Folders View

Components View

Coding and Design View

Output View
Concepts

42 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.8 shows the various elements in the NetBeans IDE 7.1.2.

Figure 2.8: Elements in NetBeans IDE 7.1.2

As shown in figure 2.8, the brief explanation for these elements is as follows:

Menu Bar
The menu bar of NetBeans IDE contains menus that have several sub-menu items, each providing
a unique functionality.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 43 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.9 shows the menu bar in the NetBeans IDE.

Figure 2.9: Menu Bar in NetBeans IDE

Table 2.3 lists and explains the different menus in the NetBeans IDE.

Menu Description
File Displays commands for using the project and the NetBeans IDE
Edit Provides commands for editing
View Provides options to display the document in different views
Navigate Provides options for navigation in the project
Source Provides options for overriding methods, fixing imports, and
inserting try-catch blocks
Refactor Allows to change the structure of the code and reflect changes
made to the code
Run Compiles the source files, executes the application, and generate
packaged build output, such as JAR or WAR file
Debug Inserts breakpoints, watches, and attaches the debugger
Profile Used for profiling an application with the help of a profiler which
examines the time and memory usage of the application
Team Used for versioning application that helps to keep the backup of
the files and tracing the modified source code files. It also allows
Concepts

to work with the shared source files present in the common

repository
Tools Provides tools for creating JUnit test cases, applying
internationalization, and creating libraries. Through
internationalization, applications can adopt to different languages
without changing the source codes

44 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Menu Description
Window Provides options to select or close any window
Help Provides guidance on how to use NetBeans IDE effectively
Table 2.3: Menus in NetBeans IDE

Folder View
The folder view shows the structure of files associated with Java applications. This view contains
Projects window, Files window, and Services window.
Figure 2.10 shows the folder view in the NetBeans IDE.

Figure 2.10: Folder View in NetBeans IDE

Table 2.4 lists and describes the different elements in the folder view.

Element Description
Projects Window Displays the project content, such as Source Packages and Libraries
Source Packages folder contains the Java source code
for the project
Libraries comprise resources required by the project,
such as source files and Javadoc files
Files Window Shows the directory structure of all files and folders present in the
Concepts

project
Services Window Displays information about database drivers, registered servers,
and Web services
Table 2.4: Elements in Folder View

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 45 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Component View
The component window is used for viewing components in the NetBeans IDE. The Navigator
window serves as a tool that displays details of the source files of the currently opened project.
The elements used in the source are displayed here in the form of a list or an inheritance tree.
Figure 2.11 shows the Navigator window in the NetBeans IDE.

Figure 2.11: Navigator Window

Code and Design View

Two elements of the coding and designing area in the NetBeans IDE are namely, Source Editor and
Design Form.
Figure 2.12 shows the Source Editor used for viewing the code.
Concepts

Figure 2.12: Source Editor

46 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Table 2.5 lists and explains the elements of the code and design view.

Element Description
Source Source Editor is a text editor of NetBeans IDE. With Source Editor,
the user can create, edit, and view the source code
Design Helps in designing the form and dragging controls on to the form,
so as to have a view of the interface
Table 2.5: Elements in Code and Design View

Output View
The Output view displays messages from the NetBeans IDE. The Output window shows compilation
errors, debugging messages, and Javadoc comments. The output of the program is also displayed
in the Output window.
Figure 2.13 shows the Output window

.
Figure 2.13: Output Window

2.4.2 Download and Install NetBeans IDE

The latest version of NetBeans IDE for different platforms, such as Windows, Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X
is available for download at http://netbeans.org/downloads/index.html.
NetBeans IDE supports development of applications in different languages, such as C/C++, PHP, Java,
Groovy, and so on. Thus, on the NetBeans IDE download Web page, you will find different installers. Each
installer of NetBeans IDE contains the basic IDE and its related tools.
The different installers are as follows:

Java SE - Supports all standard features that are necessary for Java SE development.
Concepts

Java EE - Provides tools for developing Java SE and Java EE applications. This download option
also includes GlassFish Server Open Source Edition and Apache Tomcat software.

C/C++ - Supports development in the C, C++, Fortran, and Assembly languages.

PHP - Provides tools for PHP 5.x development, Zend, and Symfony Framework support.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 47 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

All -This is a full download option, which contains all the runtimes and technologies available for
the NetBeans IDE.
To download the NetBeans IDE 7.1.2, perform the following steps:
1. Type http://netbeans.org/downloads/7.1.2/index.html in the Address bar of the Web
browser.
Figure 2.14 shows the download Web page for the NetBeans 7.1.2 IDE.

Figure 2.14: NetBeans 7.1.2 IDE Download Web Page

2. Select IDE language as English from the drop-down list. Also, select the Platform as Windows
from the drop-down list.
3. Click Download under the installer All. The Save As dialog box is opened with netbeans-7.1.2-
ml-windows.exe installer file. This installer will support development of all technologies in the
NetBeans IDE.
4. Click Save to save the installer file on the local system.
Concepts

To install the NetBeans IDE, perform the following steps:

1. Double-click netbeans-7.1.2-ml-windows.exe to run the installer.
2. Click Next at the Welcome page of the installation wizard.
3. Click Next in the License Agreement page after reviewing the license agreement, and select the
acceptance check box.

48 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

4. At the JUnit License Agreement page, decide if you want to install JUnit and click the appropriate
option, click Next.
5. At the NetBeans IDE installation page, do the following:
a. Select either the default installation directory or specific directory where the NetBeans IDE
needs to be installed.
b. During the installation, NetBeans IDE asks the path of the default JDK installation available
on the system. After the JDK installation path is specified, click Next to continue with the
installation. In case, if the installation wizard does not find compatible JDK, then the
installation gets terminated. In that case, you need to install the required JDK before
restarting the installation.
6. The GlassFish Server Source Edition 3.1.2 installation page is displayed. You can either select the
default location or specify another location to install the GlassFish Server.
7. To install the Apache Tomcat Server, on the installation page, either select the default location or
specify another location and then, click Next.
8. The Summary page is opened. The list of components that are to be installed is displayed, verify
the list to check if you have sufficient space for the installation.
9. Click Install to install the NetBeans IDE on the system.
10. After the installation is completed, click Finish to complete and close the setup page.

2.5 Writing a Java Program Using NetBeans IDE

The basic requirements to write a Java program using the NetBeans IDE is as follows:

The JDK 7 installed and configured on the system

The NetBeans IDE

To develop a Java program in NetBeans IDE, perform the following steps:

Create a project in IDE

Add code to the generated source files

Build and execute Java program

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 49 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

2.5.1 Create a Project in IDE

To create a project in IDE, perform the following steps:
1. To launch NetBeans IDE, click StartAll ProgramsNetBeans. Select NetBeans IDE 7.1.2 under
NetBeans.
2. To create a new project, click FileNew Project. This opens the New Project wizard.
3. Under Categories, expand Java and then, select Java Application under Projects.
Figure 2.15 shows the Choose Project page in the wizard.

Figure 2.15: New Project Wizard Choose Project Page

4. Click Next. This displays the Name and Location page in the wizard.
5. Type HelloMessageApp in the Project Name box.
Concepts

6. Click Browse and select the appropriate location on the system to set the project location.

50 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.16 shows the Name and Location page in the wizard.

Figure 2.16: New Java Application Wizard Name and Location Page
7. Click Finish.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 51 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.17 shows the HelloMessageApp project in the NetBeans IDE.

Figure 2.17: NetBeans IDE - HelloMessageApp

2.5.2 Add Code to the Generated Source Files

As shown in figure 2.17, a new Java program named HelloMessage.java is created. Also, the necessary
skeleton of the program has been created by the IDE. The name of the class HelloMessageApp is similar
to the file name.
To add the message Welcome to the world of Java, replace the line,
// TODO code application logic here with the statement, System.out.println(Welcome
to the world of Java);
Concepts

52 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.18 shows the NetBeans IDE with the modified code.

Figure 2.18: NetBeans IDE Modified Code

2.5.3 Build and Execute Java Program in NetBeans IDE

To compile the source file, HelloMessageApp.java, click RunBuild Main Project in the NetBeans
IDE menu bar.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 53 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Figure 2.19 shows the Output window that displays the directory structure of the HelloMessageApp
application.

Figure 2.19: Output Window HelloMessageApp Application

Figure 2.20 shows Files window that shows the generated bytecode file, HelloMessageApp.class after the
project is build successfully.
Concepts

Figure 2.20: Output Window - HelloMessageApp

54 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

To execute the program, click RunRun Main Project.

Figure 2.21 shows the Output window that displays the output of the HelloMessageApp program.

Figure 2.21: Output Window - HelloMessageApp

2.6 Comments in Java

Comments are placed in a Java program source file. They are used to document the Java program and are not
compiled by the compiler. They are added as remarks to make the program more readable for the user. A comment
usually describes the operations for better understanding of the code.
There are three styles of comments supported by Java namely, single-line, multi-line, and Javadoc.

2.6.1 Single-line Comments

A single-line comment is used to document the functionality of a single line of code.
Figure 2.22 shows the HelloWorld program with single-line comments.

Figure 2.22: Single-line Comments

There are two ways of using single-line comments that are as follows:

Beginning-of-line comment
This type of comment can be placed before the code (on a different line).

End-of-line comment
This type of comment is placed at the end of the code (on the same line).
Concepts

Conventions for using single-line comments are as follows:

Insert a space after the forward slashes.
Capitalize the first letter of the first word.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 55 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

The syntax for applying the comments is as follows:

Syntax:

// Comment text
Code Snippet 2 shows the different ways of using single-line comments in a Java program.
Code Snippet 2:

...
// Declare a variable
int a = 32;
int b // Declare a variable
...

2.6.2 Multi-line Comments

A multi-line comment is a comment that spans multiple lines. A multi-line comment starts with a forward
slash and an asterisk (/*). It ends with an asterisk and a forward slash (*/). Anything that appears
between these delimiters is considered to be a comment.
Code Snippet 3 shows a Java program that uses multi-line comments.
Code Snippet 3:

...
/*
* This code performs mathematical
* operation of adding two numbers.
*/
int a = 20;
int b = 30;
int c;
c = a + b;
...
Concepts

56 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

2.6.3 Javadoc Comments

A Javadoc comment is used to document public or protected classes, attributes, and methods. It starts
with /** and ends with */. Everything between the delimiters is a comment, even if it spans multiple
lines. The javadoc command can be used for generating Javadoc comments.
Figure 2.23 shows the Java program with Javadoc comment.

Figure 2.23: Javadoc Comments

Code Snippet 4 demonstrates the use of Javadoc comments in the Java program.
Code Snippet 4:

/*
* The program prints the welcome message
* using the println() method.
*/
package hellomessageapp;
/**
*
Concepts

* @author vincent
*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 57 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

public class HelloMessageApp {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

// The println() method displays a message on the screen

System.out.println(Welcome to the world of Java);
}
}
Concepts

58 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

2.7 Check Your Progress

1. Which of these statements about comments are false?

a. A multi-line comment starts with a forward slash and a hash (/#)

b. A single-line comment is used to document the functionality of a single line of code

c. A Javadoc comment ends with double asterisk and a forward slash (**/)

d. A multi-line comment can span several lines

e. Comment appears within delimiters

(A) a and c (C) b and c

(B) c and d (D) d and e

2. Match the following menus in the NetBeans IDE against their corresponding description.

Menu Description

Used for versioning application to

a. Source 1.
keep the backup of the files
Inserts breakpoints, watches, and
b. Refactor 2.
attaches the debugger
Provides options for overriding
c. Team 3. methods, fixing imports, and
inserting try-catch blocks
Allows to change the structure of the
d. Debug 4.
code

(A) a-1, b-2, c-3, d-4 (C) a-2, b-1, c-4, d-3

(B) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1 (D) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 59 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

3. Which of these statements about compiling and executing a Java program are true?

a. The javac tool invokes the Java compiler

b. The java tool invokes the Java interpreter

c. The Java interpreter checks for the syntax, grammar, and data types of the program

d. The .class files contain bytecodes

e. The Java interpreter compiles the code

(A) c and d (C) b, c, and d

(B) a, b, and d (D) c, d, and e

4. _______ defines a namespace that stores classes with similar functionalities in them.

(A) Package (C) Constructor

(B) Object (D) Method

5. Which of the following commenting style represents the javadoc comments?

(A) /* */ (C) //

(B) /** */ (D) /** **/

Concepts

60 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

2.7.1 Answers
1. A
2. D
3. B
4. A
5. B

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 61 of 456

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Summary
The Java programming language is designed around object-oriented features and begins with a
class design.
A Java class structure contains the following components namely, package, import, class name,
variables, and methods.
Java programs can be written in a text editor, such as Notepad or in an IDE, such as NetBeans.
The entry point for a Java console application is the main() method.
The javac.exe compiles the source code into a .class file. Similarly, the java.exe command is used
to interpret and run the Java bytecodes.
NetBeans is a free and robust IDE that helps developers to create cross-platform desktop, Web,
and mobile applications using Java.
Comments are used to document the Java program and are not compiled by the compiler. There
are three styles of comments supported by Java namely, single-line, multi-line, and Javadoc
Concepts

62 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 2
Session Application Development in Java

Try it Yourself
1. Write the Java program to print a welcome message on two lines.
For example,
Hello,
Welcome to the world of Java
2. For the statement public static void main (String[] args), observe the output for
the following:
a. Delete the keyword static and check whether any error occurs while compiling or
executing the code.
b. Delete the keyword public and observe the effect during the execution.
c. Change the order of public static and write static public and observe the effect of
changing the convention in the Java program.
d. Explain the significance of the main() method in the Java Program.
3. Consider the following code:
class HelloWorld {
public static void main(String args) {
System.out.println(Hello World!);
}
}
Find the errors in the code and fix them, so that the program can be compiled and executed
successfully.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 63 of 456



Real generosity towards the future
lies in giving all to the present
 Session - 3
Variables and Operators

Welcome to the Session, Variables and Operators.

This session focuses on the usage of variables, literals, data types, and
operators in Java programs. It provides a clear understanding of the
different data types available in Java. Further, the session explains the
different types of operators and their implementations in Java. Finally, it
explains the implicit and explicit conversion techniques.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Explain variables and their purpose
State the syntax of variable declaration
Explain the rules and conventions for naming variables
Explain data types
Describe primitive and reference data types
Describe escape sequence
Describe format specifiers
Identify and explain different type of operators
Explain the concept of casting
Explain implicit and explicit conversion
 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.1 Introduction
The core of any programming language is the way it stores and manipulates the data. The Java programming
language can work with different types of data, such as number, character, boolean, and so on. To work
with these types of data, Java programming language supports the concept of variables. A variable is like
a container in the memory that holds the data used by the Java program. It is an identifier whose value
can be changed.
A variable is associated with a data type that defines the type of data that will be stored in the variable.
Java is a strongly-typed language which means that any variable or an object created from a class must
belong to its type and should store the same type of data. The compiler checks all expressions variables
and parameters to ensure that they are compatible with their data types. In case, if any error or mismatch
is found, then they must be corrected during compile time. This reduces the runtime errors that occur in
other languages due to data type mismatch.

3.2 Variables
A variable is a location in the computers memory which stores the data that is used in a Java program.
Figure 3.1 depicts a variable that acts as a container and holds the data in it.

Figure 3.1: Variable

Variables are used in a Java program to store data that changes during the execution of the program.
They are the basic units of storage in a Java program. Variables can be declared to store values, such as
names, addresses, and salary details. They must be declared before they can be used in the program.
Concepts

A variable declaration begins with data type and is followed by variable name and a semicolon. The data
type can be a primitive data type or a class.

66 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

The syntax to declare a variable in a Java program is as follows:

Syntax:
datatype variableName;
where,
datatype: Is a valid data type in Java.
variableName: Is a valid variable name.
Code Snippet 1 demonstrates how to declare variables in a Java program.
Code Snippet 1:
...
int rollNumber;
char gender;
...

In the code, the statements declare an integer variable named rollNumber, and a character variable
called gender. These statements instruct the Java runtime environment to allocate the required amount
of memory for each of the variable. These variables will hold the type of data specified for each of
them.
Additionally, each statement also provides a name that can be used within the program to access the
values stored in each of the variables.

3.2.1 Rules for Naming Variables

Java programming language provides set of rules and conventions that need to be followed for naming
variables. For example, variable names should be short and meaningful. The use of naming conventions
ensures good programming practices and results in less syntax errors.
The rules and conventions for naming variables are as follows:

Variable names may consist of Unicode letters and digits, underscore ( _ ), and dollar sign ($).

A variables name must begin with a letter, the dollar sign ($), or the underscore character ( _ ).
The convention, however, is to always begin your variable names with a letter, not $ or _ .
Concepts

Variable names must not be a keyword or reserved word in Java.

Variable names in Java are case-sensitive (for example, the variable names number and Number
refer to two different variables).

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 67 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

If a variable name comprises a single word, the name should be in lowercase (for example, velocity
or ratio).

If the variable name consists of more than one word, the first letter of each subsequent word
should be capitalized (for example, employeeNumber and accountBalance).
Table 3.1 shows some examples of valid and invalid Java variable names.

Variable name Valid/Invalid

rollNumber Valid
a2x5_w7t3 Valid
$yearly_salary Valid
_2010_tax Valid
$$_ Valid
amount#Balance Invalid and contains the illegal character #
double Invalid and is a keyword
4short Invalid and the first character is a digit

Table 3.1: Valid and Invalid Variable Names

3.2.2 Assigning Value to a Variable

Values can be assigned to variables by using the assignment operator (=). There are two ways to assign
value to variables. These are as follows:

At the time of declaring a variable

Code Snippet 2 demonstrates the initialization of variables at the time of declaration.
Code Snippet 2:

...
int rollNumber = 101;
char gender = M;
...

In the code, variable rollNumber is an integer variable, so it has been initialized with a numeric value
101. Similarly, variable gender is a character variable and is initialized with a character M. The values
Concepts

assigned to the variables are called as literals. Literals are constant values assigned to variables directly
in the code without any computation.

68 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

After the variable declaration

Code Snippet 3 demonstrates the initialization of variables after they are declared.
Code Snippet 3:

int rollNumber; // Variable is declared

...
rollNumber = 101; //variable is initialized
...

Here, the variable rollNumber is declared first and then, according to the need of the variable in the
code, it has been initialized with the numeric literal 101.
Code Snippet 4 shows the different ways for declaring and initializing variables in Java.
Code Snippet 4:

// Declares three integer variables x, y, and z

int x, y, z;

// Declares three integer variables, initializes a and c

int a = 5, b, c = 10;

// Declares a byte variable num and initializes its value to 20

byte num = 20;

// Declares the character variable c with value c

char c = c;

// Stores value 10 in num1 and num2

int num1 = num2 = 10; //

In the code, the declarations, int x, y, z; and int a=5, b, c=10; are examples of comma separated list of
variables. The declaration int num1 = num2 = 10; assigns same value to more than one variable at the
time of declaration.
Concepts

Note - In Java, a variable must be declared before it can be used in the program. Thus, Java can be
referred to as strongly-typed programming language.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 69 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.2.3 Different Types of Variables

Java programming language allows you to define different kind of variables. These variables are categorized
as follows:

Instance variables

Static variables

Local variables

Instance variables The state of an object is represented as fields or attributes or instance

variables in the class definition. Each object created from a class contains its own individual
instance variables. In other words, each object will have its own copy of instance variables.
Figure 3.2 shows the instance variables declared in a class template. All objects from the class
contain their own instance variables which are non-static fields.

Figure 3.2: Instance Variables

Static variables These are also known as class variables. Only one copy of static variable is
Concepts

maintained in the memory that is shared by all the objects belonging to that class. These fields are
declared using the static keyword and inform the compiler that only one copy of this variable
exists irrespective of number of times the class has been instantiated.

70 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Figure 3.3 shows the static variables in a Java program.

Figure 3.3: Static Variables

Local variables The variables declared within the blocks or methods of a class are called local
variables. A method represents the behavior of an object. The local variables are visible within
those methods and are not accessible outside them. A method stores it temporary state in local
variables. There is no special keyword available for declaring a local variable, hence, the position
of declaration of the variable makes it local.

Note - A block begins with an opening curly brace ({) and ends with a closing curly brace (}).

3.2.4 Scope and Lifetime of Variables

In Java, variables can be declared within a class, method, or within any block. The boundaries of the block,
that is, opening and closing curly braces define the scope of variables in Java. A scope determines the
visibility of variables to other part of the program. Everytime a block is defined, it creates a new scope.
Similarly, the lifetime of a variable defines the time period for which the variable exists in a program.
Other Languages, such as C and C++ defines the visibility or scope of an variable in two categories. These
Concepts

are global and local. In Java, the two major scopes of a variable are defined either within a class or within
a method.
The variables declared within the class can be instance variables or static variables. The instance variables
are owned by the objects of the class. Thus, their existence or scope depends upon the object creation.
Similarly, static variables are shared between the objects and exists for the lifetime of a class.
The variables defined within the methods of a class are local variables. The lifetime of these variables

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 71 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

depends on the execution of methods. This means memory is allocated for the variables when the
method is invoked and destroyed when the method returns. After the variables are destroyed, they are
no longer in existence.
Methods also have parameters. Parameters are the variables declared with the method. They hold values
passed to them during method invocation. The parameter variables are also treated as local variables
which means their existence is till the method execution is completed.
Figure 3.4 shows the scope and lifetime of variables x and y defined within the Java program.

Figure 3.4: Scope of Variables

As shown in figure 3.4, variables declared in the outer block are visible to the inner blocks. Here, the outer
block is the main() method and the block defined within the main() method is the inner block. Thus,
variable x is visible throughout the method, whereas variable y is visible only within the inner block.

3.3 Data Types

Concepts

When you define a variable in Java, you must inform the compiler what kind of a variable it is. That is,
whether it will be expected to store an integer, a character, or some other kind of data. This information
tells the compiler how much space to allocate in the memory depending on the data type of a variable.
Thus, the data types determine the type of data that can be stored in variables and the operation that
can be performed on them.

72 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

In Java, data types fall under two categories that are as follows:

Primitive data types

Reference data types

3.3.1 Primitive Data Types

The Java programming language provides eight primitive data types to store data in Java programs. A
primitive data type, also called built-in data types, stores a single value at a time, such as a number or a
character. The size of each data type will be same on all machines while executing a Java program.
The primitive data types are predefined in the Java language and are identified as reserved words.
Figure 3.5 shows the primitive data types that are broadly grouped into four groups.

Figure 3.5: Primitive Data Types

3.3.2 Integer Types

The integer data types supported by Java are byte, short, int, and long. These data type can store
signed integer values. Signed integers are those integers, which are capable of representing positive as
well as negative numbers, such as -40.
Languages, such as C or C++, support signed and unsigned integers, but Java does not provide support
for unsigned integers.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 73 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

The brief description of the integer data types are as follows:

byte - Used to store small amount of data. This is a signed 8-bit type and can store values ranging
from -128 to 127. It is useful when working with a stream of data from a network or file. This data
type is also useful when working with raw binary data that may not be compatible with Javas
other built-in types. byte keyword is used to declare a byte variable. For example, byte val;

short - This data type is least used. It is a signed 16-bit type and can store values ranging from -
32,768 to 32,767. This type is mostly applicable to 16-bit computers. This data type is used to store
smaller numbers, for example, employee number. short keyword is used to declare a short
variable.

int This is the most commonly used data type for storing whole numbers. It is a signed 32-bit
type, and can store values ranging from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647. It is the most versatile
and efficient data type. It can be used to store the total salary being paid to all the employees of
the company. int keyword is used to declare an integer variable.

long - It is a signed 64-bit type, and can store values ranging from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to
9,223,372,036,854,775,807. It is useful when an int type is not large enough to hold the desired
value. The range of value a long data type can store is quite large for example, population of a
country. long keyword is used to declare long variables for storing large numeric values.

3.3.3 Floating-point Types

The floating-point data types supported by Java are float and double. These are also called real numbers,
as they represent numbers with fractional precision. For example, calculation of a square root or PI value
is represented with a fractional part. The brief description of the floating-point data types is as follows:

float This type supports a single precision value with 32-bit storage. They are useful when a
number needs a fractional component, but with less precision. For example, the representation of
money in dollars and cents need floating-point values. The float keyword is used to store float
values. For example, float squRoot, cubeRoot;

double - This type supports a double precision with 64-bit storage. The double precision is faster
on processors that are optimized for mathematical calculations. This data type is useful when
accuracy is required to be maintained while performing calculations. The double keyword is used
to store large-valued numbers. For example, double bigDecimal;
Concepts

3.3.4 Character Type

char data type belongs to this group and represents symbols in a character set like letters and numbers.
char data type stores 16-bit Unicode character and its value ranges from 0 (\u0000) to 65,535 (\
uffff).

74 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Unicode is a 16-bit character set, which contains all the characters commonly used in information
processing. It is an attempt to consolidate the alphabets of the worlds various languages into a single
and international character set.

3.3.5 Boolean Type

boolean data type belongs to this group and represents true or false values. This data type is used to
track true/false conditions. Its size is not defined precisely.
Apart from primitive data types, Java programming language also supports strings. A string is a sequence
of characters. Java does not provide any primitive data type for storing strings, instead provides a class
String to create string variables. The String class is defined within the java.lang package in Java
SE API.
Code Snippet 5 demonstrates the use of String class as primitive data type.
Code Snippet 5:

...
String str = A String Data;
...

The statement, String str creates an String object and is not of a primitive data type. When you
enclose a string value within double quotes, the Java runtime environment automatically creates an
object of String type. Also, once the String variable is created with a value A String Data, it
will remain constant and you cannot change the value of the variable within the program. However,
initializing string variable with new value creates a new String object. This behavior of strings makes
them as immutable objects.
Code Snippet 6 demonstrates the use of different data types in Java.
Code Snippet 6:

public class EmployeeData {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
Concepts

// Declares a variable of type integer

int empNumber;
//Declares a variable of type decimal
float salary;

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 75 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

// Declare and initialize a decimal variable

double shareBalance = 456790.897;
// Declare a variable of type character
char gender = M;
// Declare and initialize a variable of type boolean
boolean ownVehicle = false;
// Variables, empNumber and salary are initialized
empNumber = 101;
salary = 6789.50f;

// Prints the value of the variables on the console

System.out.println(Employee Number: + empNumber);
System.out.println(Salary: + salary);
System.out.println(Gender: + gender);
System.out.println(Share Balance: + shareBalance);
System.out.println(Owns vehicle: + ownVehicle);

}
}

Here, variables of type int, float, char, double, and boolean are declared. A float value needs
to have the letter f appended at its end. Otherwise, by default, all the decimal values are treated
as double in Java. Values are assigned to each of these variables and are displayed using the
System.out.println() method.
The output of the code is shown in figure 3.6.
Concepts

Figure 3.6: Output of Different Data Types

76 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.3.6 Reference Data Types

In Java, objects and arrays are referred to as reference variables. When an object or an array is created,
a certain amount of memory is assigned to it and the address of this memory block is stored in the
reference variable. In other words, reference data type is an address of an object or an array created in
memory.
Figure 3.7 shows the reference data types supported in Java.

Figure 3.7: Reference Data Types

Table 3.2 lists and describes the three reference data types.

Data Type Description

Array It is a collection of several items of the same data type. For
example, names of students in a class can be stored in an
array
Class It is encapsulation of instance variables and instance methods
Interface It is a type of class in Java used to implement inheritance
Table 3.2: Reference Data Types

3.4 Literals
A literal represents a fixed value assigned to a variable. It is represented directly in the code and does not
require computation.
Figure 3.8 shows some literals for primitive data types.
Concepts

Figure 3.8: Literals

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 77 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

A literal is used wherever a value of its type is allowed. However, there are several different types of
literals. Some of them are as follows:

Integer Literals
Integer literals are used to represent an int value, which in Java is a 32-bit integer value. In a program,
integers are probably the most commonly used type. Any whole number value is considered as an integer
literal.
Integers literals can be expressed as:
Decimal values have a base of 10 and consist of numbers from 0 through 9. For example,
int decNum = 56;.
Hexadecimal values have a base of 16 and consist of numbers 0 through 9 and letters A
through F. For example, int hexNum = 0X1c;.
Binary values have a base of 2 and consist of numbers 0 and 1. Java SE 7 supports binary
literals. For example, int binNum = 0b0010;.
An integer literal can also be assigned to other integer types, such as byte or long. When a
literal value is assigned to a byte or short variable, no error is generated, if the literal value
is within the range of the target type. Integer numbers can be represented with an optional
uppercase character (L) or lowercase character (l) at the end, which tells the computer to
treat that number as a long (64-bit) integer.

Floating-point Literals
Floating-point literals represent decimal values with a fractional component. Floating-point literals have
several parts.
Whole number component, for example 0, 1, 2,....., 9.
Decimal point, for example 4.90, 3.141, and so on.
Exponent is indicated by an E or e followed by a decimal number, which can be positive or
negative. For example, e+208, 7.436E6, 23763E-05, and so on.
Type suffix D, d, F, or f.
Floating-point literals in Java default to double precision. A float literal is represented by F or f appended
to the value, and a double literal is represented by D or d.

Boolean Literals
Concepts

Boolean literals are simple and have only two logical values - true and false. These values do not
convert into any numerical representation. A true boolean literal in Java is not equal to one, nor
does the false literal equals to zero. They can only be assigned to boolean variables or used in
expressions with boolean operators.

78 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Character Literals
Character literals are enclosed in single quotes. All the visible ASCII characters can be directly enclosed
within quotes, such as g, $, and z. Single characters that cannot be enclosed within single quotes are
used with escape sequence.

Null Literals
When an object is created, a certain amount of memory is allocated for that object. The starting address
of the allocated memory is stored in an object variable, that is, a reference variable. However, at times,
it is not desirable for the reference variable to refer that object. In such a case, the reference variable is
assigned the literal value null. For example, Car toyota = null;.

String Literals
String literals consist of sequence of characters enclosed in double quotes. For example, Welcome to
Java, Hello\nWorld.

3.4.1 Underscore Character in Numeric Literals

Java SE 7 allows you to add underscore characters (_) between the digits of a numeric literal. The
underscore character can be used only between the digits.
In integral literals, underscore characters can be provided for telephone numbers, identification numbers,
or part numbers, and so on. Similarly, for floating-point literals, underscores are used between large
decimal values.
The use of underscore character in literals improves the readability of a Java program.
Restrictions for using underscores in numeric literals are as follows:

A number cannot begin or end with an underscore.

In the floating-point literal, underscore cannot be placed adjacent to a decimal point.

Underscore cannot be placed before a suffix, L or F.

Underscore cannot be placed before or after the binary or hexadecimal identifiers, such as b or x.
Table 3.3 list shows valid and invalid placement of underscore character.
Concepts

Numeric Literal Valid/Invalid

1234_9876_5012_5454L Valid
_8976 Invalid, as underscore placed at the beginning
3.14_15F Valid
0b11010000_11110000_ Valid
00001111

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 79 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Numeric Literal Valid/Invalid

3_.14_15F Invalid, as underscore is adjacent to a decimal point
0x_78 Invalid, an underscore is placed after the hexadecimal
Table 3.3: Placement of Underscore Character

3.5 Escape Sequences

The escape sequences can be used for character and string literals. An escape sequence is a special
sequence of characters that is used to represent characters, which cannot be entered directly into a
string. For example, to include tab spaces or a new line character in a line or to include characters which
otherwise have a different notation in a Java program (\ or ), escape sequences are used.
An escape sequence begins with a backslash character (\), which indicates that the character (s) that
follows should be treated in a special way. The output displayed by Java can be formatted with the help
of escape sequence characters.
Table 3.4 lists escape sequence characters in Java.

Escape Sequence Character Value

\b Backspace character
\t Horizontal Tab character
\n New line character
\ Single quote marks
\\ Backslash
\r Carriage Return character
\ Double quote marks
\f Form feed
\xxx Character corresponding to the octal value xxx, where xxx is
between 000 and 0377
\uxxxx Unicode character with encoding xxxx, where xxxx is one to
four hexadecimal digits. Unicode escapes are distinct from the
other escape types
Table 3.4: Escape Sequences
Code Snippet 7 demonstrates the use of escape sequence characters.
Concepts

Code Snippet 7:

public class EscapeSequence {

/*
* @param args the command line arguments
*/

80 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Uses tab and new line escape sequences
System.out.println(Java \t Programming \n Language);
// Prints Tom Dick Harry string
System.out.println(Tom \Dick\ Harry);
}
}

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.9.

Figure 3.9: Output of Escape Sequences

To represent a Unicode character, \u escape sequence can be used in a Java program. A Unicode character
can be represented using hexadecimal or octal sequences.
Code Snippet 8 demonstrates the Unicode characters in a Java program.
Code Snippet 8:

public class UnicodeSequence {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Prints Hello using hexadecimal escape sequence characters
System.out.println(\u0048\u0065\u006C\u006C\u006F + !\n);
Concepts

// Prints Blake using octal escape sequence character for a

System.out.println(Bl\141ke\2007\ );
}
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 81 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.10.

Figure 3.10: Output of Unicode Sequence

The two types of escape sequences can have different semantics because the Unicode, \u escape
sequences are processed, before the other escape sequences.

Note - The hexadecimal escape sequence starts with \u followed by 4 hexadecimal digits. The octal
escape sequence comprises 3 digits after back slash. For example,
\xyy
where x can be any digit from 0 to 3 and y can be any digit from 0 to 7.

3.6 Constants and Enumerations

Consider a code that calculates the area of a circle. To calculate the area of a circle, the value of PI and
radius must be provided in the formula. The value of PI is a constant value. This value will remain
unchanged irrespective of the value provided to the radius.
Similarly, constants in Java are fixed values assigned to identifiers that are not modified throughout the
execution of the code. They are defined when you want to preserve values to reuse them later or to
prevent any modification to the values.
In Java, the declaration of constant variables is prefixed with the final keyword. Once the constant
variable is initialized with a value, any attempt to change the value within the program will generate a
compilation error.
The syntax to initialize a constant variable is as follows:
Syntax:
final data-type variable-name = value;
Concepts

where,
final: Is a keyword and denotes that the variable is declared as a constant.

82 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Code Snippet 9 demonstrates the code that declares the constant variables.
Code Snippet 9:

public class AreaOfCircle {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Declares constant variable
final double PI = 3.14159;
double radius = 5.87;
double area;

// Calculates the value for the area variable

area = PI * radius * radius;
System.out.println(Area of the circle is: + area);
}
}

In the code, a constant variable PI is assigned the value 3.14159, which is a fixed value. The variable
radius stores the radius of the circle. The code calculates area of the circle and displays the output.
The output of the code is shown in figure 3.11.

Figure 3.11: Output of Constant Variable

Concepts

Note - The final keyword can also be applied at method or class level. When applied to a method, then
it cannot be overridden. When applied to a class declaration, then that class cannot be extended.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 83 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Java SE 5.0 introduced enumerations. An enumeration is defined as a list that contains constants. In
previous languages, like C++, enumeration was a list of named integer constants, but in Java, enumeration
is a class type. This means it can contain instance variables, methods, and constructors. As a result,
the concept of enumeration has been expanded in Java. The enumeration is created using the enum
keyword.
The syntax to create an enumeration is as follows:
Syntax:
enum enum-name {
constant1, constant2, . . . , constantN
}
Though, enumeration is a class in Java, you do not use new operator to instantiate it. Instead, declare a
variable of type enumeration to use it in the Java program. This is similar to using primitive data types.
The enumeration is mostly used with decision-making constructs, such as switch-case statement.
Code Snippet 10 demonstrates the declaration of enumeration in a Java program.
Code Snippet 10:

public class EnumDirection {

/**
* Declares an enumeration
*/
enum Direction {
East, West, North, South
}
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Declares a variable of type Direction
Direction direction;
Concepts

// Instantiate the enum Direction

direction = Direction.East;

84 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

// Prints the value of enum

System.out.println(Value: + direction);
}
}

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.12.

Figure 3.12: Output of Enumeration Variable

3.7 Formatted Output and Input

Whenever an output is to be displayed on the screen, it needs to be formatted. Formatting can be done
using three ways that are as follows:

print() and println()

printf()

format()
These methods behave in a similar manner. The format() method uses the java.util.Formatter
class to do the formatting work.

3.7.1 print() and println() Methods

These methods convert all the data to strings and display it as a single value. The methods uses the
appropriate toString() method for conversion of the values. These methods can also be used to print
mixture combination of strings and numeric values as strings on the standard output.
Code Snippet 11 demonstrates the use of print() and println() methods.
Concepts

Code Snippet 11:

public class DisplaySum {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 85 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int num1 = 5;
int num2 = 10;
int sum = num1 + num2;
System.out.print(The sum of );
System.out.print(num1);
System.out.print( and );
System.out.print(num2);
System.out.print( is );
System.out.print(sum);
System.out.println(.);
int num3 = 2;
sum = num1 + num2 + num3;
System.out.println(The sum of + num1 + , + num2 + and + num3 + is + sum
+ .);
}
}

The sum variable is formatted twice. In the first case, the print() method is used for each instruction
which prints the result on the same line. In the second case, the println() method is used to convert
each data type to string and concatenate them to display as a single result.
The output of the code is shown in figure 3.13.
Concepts

Figure 3.13: Output of print() and println() Methods

86 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.7.2 printf() Method

The printf() method introduced in J2SE 5.0 can be used to format the numerical output to the
console.
Table 3.5 lists some of the format specifiers in Java.

Format Specifier Description

%d Result formatted as a decimal integer
%f Result formatted as a real number
%o Results formatted as an octal number
%e Result formatted as a decimal number in scientific notation
%n Result is displayed in a new line
Table 3.5: Format Specifiers in Java
Code Snippet 12 demonstrates the use of printf() methods to format the output.
Code Snippet 12:

public class FormatSpecifier {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int i = 55 / 22;
// Decimal integer
System.out.printf(55/22 = %d %n, i);
// Pad with zeros
double q = 1.0 / 2.0;
System.out.printf(1.0/2.0 = %09.3f %n, q);
// Scientific notation
q = 5000.0 / 3.0;
System.out.printf(5000/3.0 = %7.2e %n, q);
Concepts

// Negative infinity
q = -10.0 / 0.0;
System.out.printf(-10.0/0.0 = %7.2e %n, q);

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 87 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

// Multiple arguments, PI value, Ebase of natural logarithm

System.out.printf(pi = %5.3f, e = %5.4f %n, Math.PI, Math.E);
}
}

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.14.

Figure 3.14: Output of Format Specifiers

3.7.3 format() Method

This method formats multiple arguments based on a format string. The format string consists of the
normal string literal information associated with format specifiers and an argument list.
The syntax of a format specifier is as follows.
Syntax:
%[arg_index$] [flags] [width] [.precision] conversion character
where,
arg_index: Is an integer followed by a $ symbol. The integer indicates that the argument should be
printed in the mentioned position.
flags: Is a set of characters that format the output result. There are different flags available in Java.
Table 3.6 lists some of the flags available in Java.
Concepts

Flag Description
- Left justify the argument
+ Include a sign (+ or -) with this argument
0 Pad this argument with zeros

88 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Flag Description
, Use locale-specific grouping separators
( Enclose negative numbers in parenthesis
Table 3.6: Types of Flags in Java
width: Indicates the minimum number of characters to be printed and cannot be negative.
precision: Indicates the number of digits to be printed after a decimal point. Used with floating-point
numbers.
conversion character: Specifies the type of argument to be formatted. For example, b for boolean,
c for char, d for integer, f for floating-point, and s for string.
The values within [] are optional. The only required elements of format specifier are the % and a
conversion character.
Code Snippet 13 demonstrates the format() method.
Code Snippet 13:

public class VariableScope {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int num = 2;
double result = num * num;
System.out.format(The square root of %d is %f.%n, num, result);
}
}

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.15. Concepts

Figure 3.15: Output of format() Method

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 89 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.7.4 Formatted Input

The Scanner class allows the user to read or accept values of various data types from the keyboard. It
breaks the input into tokens and translates individual tokens depending on their data type.
To use the Scanner class, pass the InputStream object to the constructor.
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
Here, input is an object of Scanner class and System.in is an input stream object.
Table 3.7 lists the different methods of the Scanner class that can be used to accept numerical values
from the user.

Method Description
nextByte() Returns the next token as a byte value
nextInt() Returns the next token as an int value
nextLong() Returns the next token as a long value
nextFloat() Returns the next token as a float value
nextDouble() Returns the next token as a double value
Table 3.7: Methods of Scanner class
Code Snippet 14 demonstrates the Scanner class methods and how they can be used to accept values
from the user.
Code Snippet 14:

public class FormattedInput {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Creates an object and passes the inputstream object
Scanner s = new Scanner(System.in);

System.out.println(Enter a number:);
// Accepts integer value from the user
Concepts

int intValue = s.nextInt();

90 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

System.out.println(Enter a decimal number:);

// Accepts integer value from the user
float floatValue = s.nextFloat();
System.out.println(Enter a String value);
// Accepts String value from the user
String strValue = s.next();
System.out.println(Values entered are: );
System.out.println(intValue + + floatValue + + strValue);
}
}

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.16.

Figure 3.16: Output of Scanner Class

3.8 Operators
All programming languages provide some mechanism for performing various operations on the data
stored in variables. The simplest form of operations involves arithmetic (like adding, dividing, and so on)
or comparing between two or more variables. A set of symbols is used to indicate the kind of operation
to be performed on data. These symbols are called operators.
Consider the expression:
Z = X + Y;
Concepts

The + symbol in the statement is called the Operator and the operation performed is addition. This
operation is performed on the two variables X and Y, which are called as Operands. The combination of
both the operator and the operands, Z = X + Y, is known as an Expression.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 91 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Java provides several categories of operators and they are as follows:

Assignment Operator

Arithmetic Operator

Unary Operator

Conditional Operator

Logical Operator

Assignment Operator

Bitwise Operator

3.8.1 Assignment Operators

The basic assignment operator is a single equal to sign, =. This operator is used to assign the value on
its right to the operand on its left. Assigning values to more than one variable can be done at a time. In
other words, it allows you to create a chain of assignments.
Consider the following statements:
int balance = 3456;
char gender = M;
The value 3456 and M are assigned to the variables, balance and gender.
In addition to the basic assignment operator, there are combined operators that allow you to use a value
in an expression, and then, set its value to the result of that expression.
X = 3;
X += 5;
The second statement stores the value 8, the meaning of the statement is that X = X + 5.
Code Snippet 15 demonstrates the use of assignment operators.
Code Snippet 15:
Concepts

...
x = 10; // Assigns the value 10 to variable x
x += 5; // Increments the value of x by 5
x -= 5; // Decrements the value of x by 5

92 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

x *= 5; // Multiplies the value of x by 5

x /= 2; // Divides the value of x by 2
x %= 2; // Divides the value of x by 2 and the remainder is returned

3.8.2 Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators manipulate numeric data and perform common arithmetic operations on the data.
Operands of the arithmetic operators must be of numeric type. Boolean operands cannot be used, but
character operands are allowed. The operators mentioned here are binary in nature that is, these operate
on two operands, such as X+Y. Here, + is a binary operator operating on X and Y.
Table 3.8 lists the arithmetic operators.

Operator Description
+ Addition - Returns the sum of the operands
- Subtraction - Returns the difference of two operands
* Multiplication - Returns the product of operands
/ Division Returns the result of division operation
% Remainder - Returns the remainder from a division operation
Table 3.8: Arithmetic Operator
Code Snippet 16 demonstrates the use of arithmetic operators.
Code Snippet 16:

...
x = 2 + 3; // Returns 5
y = 8 5; // Returns 3
x = 5 * 2; // Returns 10
x = 5/2; // Returns 2
y = 10 % 3; // Returns 1
...

3.8.3 Unary Operator

Concepts

Unary operators require only one operand. They perform various operations such as incrementing/
decrementing the value of a variable by 1, negating an expression, or inverting the value of a boolean
variable.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 93 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Table 3.9 lists the unary operators.

Operator Description
+ Unary plus - Indicates a positive value
- Unary minus - Negates an expression
++ Increment operator - Increments the value of a variable by 1
-- Decrement operator - Decrements the value of a variable by 1
! Logical complement operator - Inverts a boolean value
Table 3.9: Unary Operator
The ++ and -- operators can be applied before (prefix) or after (postfix) the operand. The statements
++variable and variable++ both result in incrementing the value of the variable by 1. The only
difference is that the prefix version (++variable) will increment the value before evaluating, whereas
the postfix version (variable++) will first evaluate and then, increment the original value.
Code Snippet 17 demonstrates the use of unary operators.
Code Snippet 17:

...
int i = 5;
int j = i++; // i=6, j=5
int k = ++i; //i=6,k=6
i = - i ; //now i is -6
boolean result = false; //result is false
result = !result; //now result is true
...

3.8.4 Conditional Operators

The conditional operators test the relationship between two operands. An expression involving conditional
operators always evaluates to a boolean value (that is, either true or false).
Table 3.10 lists the various conditional operators.

Operator Description
Concepts

== Equal to Checks for equality of two numbers

!= Not Equal to - Checks for inequality of two values
> Greater than - Checks if value on left is greater than the value
on the right
< Less than - Checks if the value on the left is lesser than the
value on the right

94 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Operator Description
>= Greater than or equal to - Checks if the value on the left is
greater than or equal to the value on the right
<= Less than or equal to Checks if the value on the left is less
than or equal to the value on the left
Table 3.10: Conditional Operators
Code Snippet 18 demonstrates the use of conditional operators.
Code Snippet 18:

public class TestConditionalOperators {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int value1 = 10;
int value2 = 20;

// Use of conditional operators

System.out.print(value1 == value2: );
System.out.println(value1 == value2);
System.out.print(value1 != value2: );
System.out.println(value1 != value2);
System.out.print(value1 > value 2: );
System.out.println(value1 > value2);
System.out.print(value1 < value2: );
System.out.println(value1 < value2);
System.out.print(value1 <= value2: );
System.out.println(value1 <= value2);
}
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 95 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.17.

Figure 3.17: Output of Conditional Operators

3.8.5 Logical Operators

Logical operators (&& and ||) work on two boolean expressions. These operators exhibit short-circuit
behavior, which means that the second operand is evaluated only if required.
Table 3.11 lists the two logical operators.

Operator Description
&& Conditional AND - Returns true only if both the expressions
are true
|| Conditional OR - Returns true if either of the expression is
true or both the expressions are true
Table 3.11: Logical Operators
Code Snippet 19 demonstrates the use of logical operators.
Code Snippet 19:

public class TestLogicalOperators {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int first = 10;
int second = 20;
// Use of logical operator
Concepts

System.out.println((first == 30) && (second == 20));

System.out.println((first == 30) || (second == 20));
}
}

96 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.18.

Figure 3.18: Output of Logical Operators

3.8.6 Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators work on binary representations of data. These operators are used to change individual
bits in an operand.
Table 3.12 lists the various bitwise operators.

Operator Description
& Bitwise AND - compares two bits and generates a result of 1 if
both bits are 1; otherwise, it returns 0
| Bitwise OR - compares two bits and generates a result of 1 if
the bits are complementary; otherwise, it returns 0
^ Exclusive OR - compares two bits and generates a result of 1 if
either or both bits are 1; otherwise, it returns 0
~ Complement operator - used to invert all of the bits of the
operand
>> Shift Right operator - Moves all bits in a number to the right
by one position retaining the sign of negative numbers
<< Shift Left operator - Moves all the bits in a number to the left
by the specified position
Table 3.12: Bitwise Operators
Code Snippet 20 demonstrates the use of bitwise operators.
Code Snippet 20:

public class TestBitwiseOperators {

/**
Concepts

* @param args the command line arguments

*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 97 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

public static void main(String[] args) {

int x = 23;
int y = 12;
//23 = 10111 , 12 = 01100
System.out.print(x & y: );
System.out.println(x & y); // Returns 4 , i.e, 4 = 00100
System.out.print(x | y: );

System.out.println(x | y); // Returns 31, i.e 31 = 11111

System.out.print(x ^ y: );
System.out.println(x ^ y); // Returns 27, i.e 31 = 11011
int a = 43;
int b = 1;
System.out.print(a >> b: );
System.out.println(a >> b); // returns 21 , i.e, 21 = 0010101
System.out.print(a << b: );
System.out.println(a << b); //returns 86 , i.e, 86 = 1010110
}
}

The output of the code is shown in figure 3.19.

Concepts

Figure 3.19: Output of Bitwise Operators

98 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.8.7 Ternary Operator

The ternary operator (?:) is a shorthand operator for an if-else statement. It makes your code
compact and more readable.
The syntax to use the ternary operator is as follows:
Syntax:
expression1 ? expression2 : expression3
where,
expression1: Represents an expression that evaluates to a boolean value of true or false.
expression2: Is executed if expression1 evaluates to true.
expression3: Is executed if expression1 evaluates to false.
Code Snippet 21 demonstrates the use of ternary operator.
Code Snippet 21:

public class VariableScope {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int value1 = 10;
int value2 = 20;
int result;
boolean someCondition = true;
result = someCondition ? value1 : value2;

System.out.println(result);
}
}
Concepts

As someCondition variable evaluates to true, the value of value1 variable is assigned to the result
variable. Thus, the program prints 10 on the console.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 99 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.8.8 Operator Precedence

Expressions that are written generally consist of several operators. The rules of precedence decide the
order in which each operator is evaluated in any given expression.
Table 3.13 lists the order of precedence of operators from highest to lowest in which operators are
evaluated in Java.

Order Operator
1. Parentheses like ( )
2. Unary Operators like +, -, ++, --, ~, !
3. Arithmetic and Bitwise Shift operators like *, /, %, +, -, >>, <<
4. Relational Operators like >, >=, <, <=, ==, !=
5. Conditional and Bitwise Operators like &, ^, |, &&, ||,
6. Conditional and Assignment Operators like ?:, =, *=, /=, +=, -=
Table 3.13: Precedence of Operators
Parentheses are used to change the order in which an expression is evaluated. Any part of an expression
enclosed in parentheses is evaluated first.
For example, consider the following expression:
2*3+4/2 > 3 && 3<5 || 10<9
The evaluation of the expression based on its operators precedence is as follows:
1. (2*3+4/2) > 3 && 3<5 || 10<9
First the arithmetic operators are evaluated.
2. ((2*3)+(4/2)) > 3 && 3<5 || 10<9
Division and Multiplication are evaluated before addition and subtraction.
3. (6+2) >3 && 3<5 || 10<9
4. (8 >3) && [3<5] || [10<9]
Next to be evaluated are the relational operators all of which have the same precedence. These are
therefore evaluated from left to right.
5. (True && True) || False
The last to be evaluated are the logical operators. && takes precedence over ||.
Concepts

6. True || False
7. True

100 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.8.9 Operator Associativity

When two operators with the same precedence appear in an expression, the expression is evaluated,
according to its associativity. For example, in Java the - operator has left-associativity and x - y - z
is interpreted as (x - y) - z, and = has right-associativity and x = y = z is interpreted as x = (y
= z).
Table 3.14 shows the Java operators and their associativity.

Operator Description Associativity

(), ++, -- Parentheses, post increment/decrement Left to right
++, --, +, -, !,~ Pre increment/decrement unary plus, unary minus logical NOT,
unary minus, logical NOT, and bitwise bitwise NOT
NOT
Right to left *, /, %, +, - Multiplicative and
Additive
Left to right <<, >> Bitwise shift
Left to right <, <, >=, <=, ==, != Relational and Equality
operators
Left to right &, ^, | Bitwise AND, XOR, OR
Left to right &&, || Conditional AND, OR
Left to right ?: Conditional operator
(Ternary)
Table 3.14: Java operators and their Associativity
Consider the following expression:
2+10+4-5*(7-1)
1. According to the rules of operator precedence, the * has higher precedence than any other operator
in the equation. Since, 7-1 is enclosed in parenthesis, it is evaluated first.
2+10+4-5*6
2. Next, * is the operator with the highest precedence. Since there are no more parentheses, it is
evaluated according to the rules.
2+10+4-30
3. As + and - have the same precedence, the left associativity works out.
Concepts

12+4-30
4. Finally, the expression is evaluated from left to right.
6 30
The result is -14.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 101 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.9 Type Casting

In any application, there may be situations where one data type may need to be converted into another
data type. The type casting feature in Java helps in such conversion.
Type conversion or typecasting refers to changing an entity of one data type into another. For instance,
values from a more limited set, such as integers, can be stored in a more compact format. It can be
converted later to a different format enabling operations not previously possible, such as division with
several decimal places worth of accuracy. In OOP languages, type conversion allows programs to treat
objects of one type as one of their ancestor types to simplify interacting with them.
There are two types of conversion: implicit and explicit. The term for implicit type conversion is coercion.
The most common form of explicit type conversion is known as casting. Explicit type conversion can also
be achieved with separately defined conversion routines such as an overloaded object constructor.

3.9.1 Implicit Type Casting

When a data of a particular type is assigned to a variable of another type, then automatic type conversion
takes place. It is also referred to as implicit type casting, provided it meets the conditions specified:

The two types should be compatible

The destination type should be larger than the source

Figure 3.20 shows the implicit type casting.
Concepts

Figure 3.20: Implicit Type Casting

102 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

The primitive numeric data types that can be implicitly cast are as follows:

byte (8 bits) to short, int, long, float, double

short(16 bits) to int, long, float, double

int (32 bits) to long, float, double

long(64 bits) to float, double

This is also known as the type promotion rule. The type promotion rules are listed as follows:

All byte and short values are promoted to int type.

If one operand is long, the whole expression is promoted to long.

If one operand is float then, the whole expression is promoted to float.

If one operand is double then, the whole expression is promoted to double.

Code Snippet 22 demonstrates implicit type conversion.
Code Snippet 22:

...
double dbl = 10;
long lng = 100;
int in = 10;
dbl = in; // assigns the integer value to double variable
lng = in; // assigns the integer value to long variable
...

3.9.2 Explicit Casting

A data type with lower precision, such as short, can be converted to a type of higher precision, such as
int, without using explicit casting. However, to convert a higher precision data type to a lower precision
data type, such as float to int data type, an explicit cast is required. Otherwise, the compiler will display
Concepts

an error message.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 103 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

The syntax for explicit casting is as follows:

Syntax:
(target data type) value;
Figure 3.21 shows the explicit type casting of data types.

Figure 3.21: Explicit Type Casting

Code Snippet 23 adds a float value to an int and stores the result as an integer.
Coder Snippet 23:

...
float a = 21.3476f;
int b = (int) a + 5;
...

The float value in a is converted into an integer value 21. It is then, added to 5, and the resulting value,
26, is stored in b. This type of conversion is known as truncation. The fractional component is lost when
a floating-point is assigned to an integer type, resulting in the loss of precision.
Concepts

104 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.10 Check Your Progress

1. Match the following operators in Java against their corresponding description.

Operator Description

a. Conditional 1. Requires two operands to operate

Tests the relationship between two
b. Arithmetic 2.
operands
c. Logical 3. Requires only one operand

c. Unary 4. Works on boolean expressions

(A) a-1, b-2, c-3, d-4 (C) a-2, b-1, c-4, d-3

(B) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1 (D) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2

2. Which of the following operators is used to change the order of evaluation while evaluating an expression?

(A) Unary (C) Arithmetic

(B) Parentheses (D) Relational

3. Which of these statements about escape sequences are true?

a. The escape sequence character \n represents a new line character

b. The \u escape sequence represents a Unicode character

c. The escape sequence character \r represents a backslash character

d. The escape sequence character \\ represents a new line character

(A) a, b, and c (C) b, c, and d

(B) c and d (D) a and b

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 105 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

4. Match the following data types with the values that can optimally fit in that data type.

Data Type Value

a. byte 1. 5000

b. char 2. 48999.988

c. double 3. F

c. int 4. 256

(A) a-1, b-2, c-3, d-4 (C) a-2, b-1, c-4, d-3

(B) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1 (D) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2

5. You want the output to be displayed as, floatTest=1.0, dblTest=1.0, and sum=2. Can you
arrange the steps in sequence to achieve the same?

System.out.println(dblTest= + dblTest);
a.
int sum = (int)(dblTest + floatTest);
b. System.out.println(sum= + sum);
boolean boolTest = true;
c.
float floatTest = 3.14f;
System.out.println(floatTest= + floatTest);
d.
dblTest = (double)( boolTest?1:0);
double dblTest = 0.000000000000053;
e.
floatTest = (float)(boolTest?1:0);

(A) c, e, d, a, b (C) c, d, e, b, a

(B) e, c, d, a, b (D) e, c, b, a, d
Concepts

106 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

3.10.1 Answers
1. C
2. B
3. D
4. B
5. A

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 107 of 456

 3
Session Variables and Operators

Summary
Variables store values required in the program and should be declared before they are used. In
Java, variables can be declared within a class, method, or within any block.
Data types determine the type of values that can be stored in a variable and the operations that
can be performed on them. Data types in Java are divided mainly into primitive types and
reference types.
A literal signifies a value assigned to a variable in the Java program. Java SE 7 supports the use of
the underscore characters (_) between the digits of a numeric literal.
The output of the Java program can be formatted using three ways: print() and println(), printf(),
format(). Similarly, the Scanner class allows the user to read or accept values of various data types
from the keyboard.
Operators are symbols that help to manipulate or perform some sort of function on data.
Parentheses are used to change the order in which an expression is evaluated.
The type casting feature helps in converting a certain data type to another data type. The type
casting can be automatic or manual and should follow the rules for promotion.
Concepts

108 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 3
Session Variables and Operators

2.
3. Try it Yourself
1. Write a program that declares variables of different data types. During declaration, try to use some
invalid variable names in the program and observe the compiler errors generated for the same.

2. Execute the following code and check the output:

class TestOperator {
public static void main(String[] args){
int i = 5;
i++;
System.out.println(i);
++i;
System.out.println(i);
System.out.println(++i);
System.out.println(i++);
System.out.println(i);
}
}

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 109 of 456



Learning how to learn is lifes most
important skill.
 Session - 4
Decision-Making Constructs
Welcome to the Session, Decision-Making Constructs.

This session explains the different types of decision-making statements

present in Java programming language. It focuses on two main aspects
of making decisions: first is the comparison of data and second is the
sequence of execution of statements.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Identify the need for decision-making statements

List the different types of decision-making statements

Explain the if statement

Explain the various forms of if statement

Explain the switch-case statement

Explain the use of strings and enumeration in the switch-case

statement

Compare the if-else and switch-case statement

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

4.1 Introduction
A Java program consists of a set of statements, which are executed sequentially in the order in which
they appear. However, in some cases, the order of execution of statements may change based on the
evaluation of certain conditions. The change in the flow of statements is achieved by using different
control flow statements.
There are three categories of control flow statements supported by Java programming language. These
are as follows:

Conditional Statements - These types of statements are also referred to as decision-making

statements. They allow the program to execute a particular set of statements depending on the
result of evaluation of a conditional expression or the state of a variable.

Iteration Statements - These types of statements are also referred to as looping constructs. They
allow the program to repeat a particular set of statements for certain number of times.

Branching Statements - These types of statements are referred to as jump statements. They
either allow the program to skip or continue execution of the looping statements. The program is
executed in a non-linear fashion.

4.1.1 Decision-making Statements

The Java programming language possesses different decision-making capabilities. Decision-making
statements enable us to change the flow of execution of a Java program. Based on the result of evaluation
of a condition during program execution, a statement or a sequence of statements is executed.
The different types of decision-making statements supported by Java are as follows:

if statement

switch-case statement

4.2 if Statement
The if statement is the most basic form of decision-making statement. The if statement evaluates a
given condition and based on the result of evaluation executes a certain section of code. If the condition
evaluates to true, then the statements present within the if block gets executed. If the condition
evaluates to false, the control is transferred directly to the statement outside the if block.
Concepts

112 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

Figure 4.1 shows the flow of execution for the if statement.

Figure 4.1: Flow of Execution if Statement

The syntax for using the if statement is as follows:
Syntax:

if (condition) {

// one or more statements;

}
Concepts

where,
condition: Is the boolean expression.
statements: Are instructions/statements enclosed in curly braces. These statements are executed
when the boolean expression evaluates to true.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 113 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

Code Snippet 1 demonstrates the code that performs conditional check on the value of a variable using
the if statement.
Code Snippet 1:
public class CheckNumberValue {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int first = 400, second = 700, result;
result = first + second;

// Evaluates the value of result variable

if (result > 1000) {
second = second + 100;
}
System.out.println(The value of second is + second);
}
}

The program tests the value of the variable, result and accordingly calculates value for the variable,
second. If the value of result is greater than 1000, then the value of the variable second is incremented
by 100. If the evaluation of condition is false, the value of the variable second is not incremented.
Finally, the value of the variable second gets printed on the console.
The output of the code is shown in figure 4.2.
Concepts

Figure 4.2: Output of Simple if Statement

If there is only a single action statement within the body of the if block, then use of opening and closing
curly braces is optional.

114 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

For example, Code Snippet 1 is rewritten in Code Snippet 2 to illustrate this concept.
Code Snippet 2:

public class ModifiedIf {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int first = 400, second = 700, result;
result = first + second;
// Evaluates the value of result variable
if (result > 1000)
second = second + 100;
System.out.println(The value of second is + second);
}
}

The main disadvantage of omitting braces is that if another statement is added to the body of the if
statement, without enclosing the statements in curly braces, it would result in wrong output.

4.2.1 if-else Statement

The if statement specifies a block of statement to be executed when the condition is evaluated to true.
However, sometimes it is required to define a block of statements to be executed when a condition
evaluates to false. This is done by using the if-else statement.
The if-else statement begins with the if block followed by the else block. The else block specifies
a block of statements that are to be executed when a condition evaluates to false.
The syntax for using the if-else statement is as follows:
Syntax:

if (condition) {

// one or more statements;

Concepts

else {

// one or more statements;

}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 115 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

Code Snippet 3 demonstrates the code that checks whether a number is even or odd.
Code Snippet 3:

public class Number_Division {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int number = 11, remainder;

// % operator to return the remainder of the division

remainder = number % 2;
if (remainder == 0) {
System.out.println(Number is even);
} else {
System.out.println(Number is odd);
}
}
}

In the code, the variable, number is divided by 2 to obtain the remainder of the division. This is done
by using the % (modulus) operator which returns the remainder after performing the division. If the
remainder is 0, the message Number is even is printed. Otherwise, the message Number is odd
is printed.
The output of the code is shown in figure 4.3.
Concepts

Figure 4.3: Output of if-else Statement

116 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

4.2.2 Nested-if Statement

The if-else statement tests the result of a condition, that is, a boolean expression and performs
appropriate actions based on the result. An if statement can also be used within another if statement.
This is known as nested-if. A nested-if statement is an if statement that is the target of another if or
else statement.
The important points to remember about nested-if statements are as follows:
An else statement should always refer to the nearest if statement.

The if statement must be within the same block as the else and it should not be
already associated with some other else statement.
The syntax to use the nested-if statements is as follows:
Syntax:

if(condition) {

if(condition)
true-block statement(s);
else
false-block statement(s);

}
else {
false-block statement(s);
}
Code Snippet 4 demonstrates the use of nested-if statement and checks whether a number is divisible
by 3 as well as 5.
Code Snippet 4:

import java.util.*;
public class NumberDivisibility {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
Concepts

// Scanner class is used to accept values from the user

Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.println(Enter a Number: );
int num = input.nextInt();

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 117 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

// Checks whether a number is divisible by 3

if (num % 3 == 0) {
System.out.println(Inside Outer if Block);
// Inner if statement checks if number is divisible by 5
if (num % 5 == 0) {
System.out.println(Number is divisible by 3 and 5);
} else {
System.out.println(Number is divisible by 3, but not by 5);
} // End of inner if-else statement

} else {
System.out.println(Number is not divisible by 3);
} // End of outer if-else statement
}
}

The code declares a variable num and stores an integer value accepted from the user. The code contains
an outer if statement, if(num % 3 == 0) and an inner if statement, if (num % 5 == 0). Initially,
the outer if statement is evaluated. If it evaluates to false, then the inner if-else statement is
skipped and the final else block is executed. If the outer if statement evaluates to true, then its
body containing the inner if-else statement is evaluated. In other words, evaluation of the inner if
statement depends on the result of the outer if statement.
The output of the code is shown in figure 4.4.
Concepts

Figure 4.4: Output of Nested-if Statement

118 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

4.2.3 if-else-if Ladder

The multiple if construct is known as the if-else-if ladder. The conditions are evaluated sequentially
starting from the top of the ladder and moving downwards.
When a condition controlling the if statement is evaluated as true, the statements associated with the
if condition are executed and all the other if condition are bypassed. If none of the condition is true,
then the final else statement is executed. The final else statement also acts as a default statement.
In case, if all the if constructs are false and no final else statement is specified, then no action is
performed by the program.
The syntax for using the if-else-if statement is as follows:
Syntax:

if(condition) {

// one or more statements

else if (condition) {

// one or more statements

else {

// one or more statements

}
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 119 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

Figure 4.5 shows the flow of execution for the if-else-if ladder.

Figure 4.5: Flow of Execution - if-else-if Ladder

Code Snippet 5 checks the total marks and prints the appropriate grade.
Code Snippet 5:

public class CheckMarks {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
Concepts

public static void main(String[] args) {

int totalMarks = 59;

120 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

/* Tests the value of totalMarks and accordingly transfers

* control to the else if statement
*/
if (totalMarks >= 90) {
System.out.println(Grade = A+);
} else if (totalMarks >= 60) {
System.out.println(Grade = A);
} else if (totalMarks >= 40) {
System.out.println(Grade = B);
} else if (totalMarks >= 30) {
System.out.println(Grade = C);
} else {
System.out.println(Fail);
}
}
}

If the code satisfies a given condition, then the statements within that else if condition are executed.
After execution of the statements, the control breaks and remaining if conditions are bypassed for
evaluation. If none of the condition is satisfied, then the final else statement, also known as the default
else statement is executed.
The output of the code is shown in figure 4.6.

Figure 4.6: Output of if-else-if Ladder

Concepts

4.3 switch-case Statement

A program is difficult to comprehend, when there are too many if statements representing multiple
selection constructs. To avoid this, the switch-case statements can be used as an alternative for
multiple selections. The use of the switch-case statement results in better performance.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 121 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

The switch-case statement contains a variable as an expression whose value is compared against
different values. It can have a number of possible execution paths depending on the value of expression
provided with the switch statement. The expression to be evaluated can contain different primitive
data types, such as byte, short, int, and char.
From Java SE 7, the switch-case statement also supports the use of strings and can be passed as an
expression for the switch statement. The String class is used for creating string values in the Java
program.
Apart from strings, it also supports objects of few classes present in the Java API. The classes are
Character, Byte, Short, and Integer and are referred to as wrapper classes. A wrapper class encloses
or wraps the primitive data type into an object of that type. For example, the wrapper class, Integer
allows you to use int value as object, that is, Integer y = new Integer(52);. It also supports the
use of enumerated types as expression.
The syntax for using the switch-case statement is as follows:
Syntax:
switch (<expression>) {
casevalue1:
// statement sequence
break;
casevalue2:
// statement sequence
break;
...
...
...
casevalueN:
// statement sequence
break;
default:
// default statement sequence
}
Concepts

where,
switch: The switch keyword is followed by an expression enclosed in parentheses.
case: The case keyword is followed by a constant and a colon. Each case value is a unique literal. The
case statement might be followed by a code sequence that is executed when the switch expression
and the case value match.

122 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

default: If no case value matches the switch expression value, execution continues at the default
clause. This is the equivalent to the else of the if-else-if statement.
break: The break statement is used inside the switch-case statement to terminate the execution of
the statement sequence. The break statement is optional. If there is no break statement, execution flows
sequentially into the next cases. Sometimes, multiple cases can be present without break statements
between them. The use of break statement makes the modification in code easier and with less error.
Figure 4.7 shows the flow of execution for the switch-case statement.

Figure 4.7: switch-case Statement

The value of the expression specified with the switch statement is compared with each case constant
value. If any case value matches, the corresponding statements in that case are executed. If there is no
matching case, then the default case is executed.
Concepts

When the break statement is encountered, it terminates the switch-case block and control switches
to the statements following the block. The break statement must be provided with each case, as without
them switch blocks fall through. This means even after the matching case is executed; all other cases
following the matching case are also executed, until a break statement is encountered.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 123 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

Code Snippet 6 demonstrates the use of the switch-case statement.

Code Snippet 6:

public class TestNumericOperation {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Declares and initializes the variable
int choice = 3;
// switch expression value is matched with each case
switch (choice) {
case 1:
System.out.println(Addition);
break;
case 2:
System.out.println(Subtraction);
break;
case 3:
System.out.println(Multiplication);
break;
case 4:
System.out.println(Division);
break;
default:
System.out.println(Invalid Choice);
} // End of switch-case statement
}
Concepts

In the code, value of the expression, choice is compared with the literal value in each of the case
statement. Here, case 3 is executed, as its value is matching with the expression. Finally, the control
moves out of the switch-case, due to the presence of the break statement. The program will not
perform any action, if no matching case is found or the default statement is not present.

124 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

The output of the code is shown in figure 4.8.

Figure 4.8: Output of Simple switch-case Statement

As discussed, the break statement is optional. If it is omitted, then execution continues with the other
cases, even after the matching case is found. However, sometimes it is required to have multiple case
statements without a break statement. This is commonly used when same set of statements need to be
executed for the multiple cases.
Code Snippet 7 demonstrates the use of multiple case statements with no break statement.
Code Snippet 7:

public class NumberOfDays {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int month = 5;
int year = 2001;
int numDays = 0;
// Cases are executed until a break statement is encountered
switch (month) {
case 1:
case 3:
case 5:
case 7:
Concepts

case 8:
case 10:
case 12:

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 125 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

numDays = 31;
break;
case 4:
case 6:
case 9:
case 11:
numDays = 30;
break;
case 2:
if (year % 4 == 0) {
numDays = 29;
} else {
numDays = 28;
}
break;
default:
System.out.println(Invalid Month);
} // End of switch-case statement

System.out.println(Month: + month);

System.out.println(Number of Days: + numDays);

}
}

In the code, the value of expression, month is compared through each case, till a break statement or
end of the switch-case block is encountered.
Concepts

126 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

The output of the code is shown in figure 4.9.

Figure 4.9: Output of Multiple Cases Without break Statement

4.3.1 String-based switch-case Statement

Java SE 7 supports the use of strings in the switch-case statement. Allowing the use of strings in
switch-case statement enables the program to incorporate a readable code. A string is not a primitive
data type, but an object in Java. Thus, to use strings for comparison, a String object is passed as an
expression in the switch-case statement.
Code Snippet 8 demonstrates the use of strings in the switch-case statement.
Code Snippet 8:

public class DayofWeek {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
String day = Monday;

// switch statement contains an expression of type String

switch (day) {
case Sunday:
System.out.println(First day of the Week);

break;
Concepts

case Monday:
System.out.println(Second Day of the Week);
break;

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 127 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

case Tuesday:
System.out.println(Third Day of the Week);
break;

case Wednesday:
System.out.println(Fourth Day of the Week);
break;

case Thursday:
System.out.println(Fifth Day of the Week);
break;

case Friday:
System.out.println(Sixth Day of the Week);
break;

case Saturday:
System.out.println(Seventh Day of the Week);
break;
default:
System.out.println(Invalid Day);
}// End of switch-case statement
}
}

In the code, the statement String day=Monday creates an object named day of type String and
initializes it. Then, the object is passed as an expression to the switch statement. The value of this
expression, that is Monday, is compared with the value of each case statement. If a matching case is
not found, then the default statement is executed.
Concepts

128 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

The output of the code is shown in figure 4.10.

Figure 4.10: Output of switch-case Statement with String Expression

There are some points that need to be considered while using strings with the switch-case statement.
These are as follows:
Null values A runtime exception is generated when a string variable is assigned a null value
and is passed as an expression to the switch statement. The runtime exception thrown by JVM is
java.lang.NullPointerException.

Case-sensitive values The value of String variable that is matched with the case literals is
case sensitive. This means, if a String value Monday is matched with the case labeled
MONDAY:, then it will not be treated as a matched value. Hence, in that case, the default
statement will be executed.

4.3.2 Enumeration-based switch-case Statement

The switch-case statement also supports the use of an enumeration (enum) value in the expression.
The only constraint with an enum expression is that all case constants must belong to the same enum
variable used with the switch statement.
Code Snippet 9 demonstrates the use of enumerations in the switch-case statement.
Code Snippet 9:
public class TestSwitchEnumeration {
/**
* An enumeration of Cards Suite
*/
enum Cards {
Concepts

Spade, Heart, Diamond, Club

}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 129 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
Cards card = Cards.Diamond;

// enum variable is used to control a switch statement

switch (card) {
case Spade:
System.out.println(SPADE);
break;
case Heart:
System.out.println(HEART);
break;
case Diamond:
System.out.println(DIAMOND);
break;
case Club:
System.out.println(CLUB);
break;
} // End of switch-case statement
}
}

In the code, the enum, card is passed as an expression to the switch statement. Each case statement
has an enumeration constant associated with it and does not require it to be qualified by the enumeration
name.
This is because during compilation, the switch statement with an enum, implicitly understands the type
of constants used with the case statements.
Concepts

130 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

The output of the code is shown in figure 4.11.

Figure 4.11: Output of switch-case Statement with Enumeration

4.3.3 Nested switch-case Statement

The switch-case statement can also be used as a part of another switch-case statement. This is
called as nested switch-case statements.
Since, the switch-case statement defines its own blocks; no conflicts arise between the case constants
present in the inner switch and those present in the outer switch.
Code Snippet 10 demonstrates the use of nested switch-case statements.
Code Snippet 10:

public class Greeting {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// String declaration
String day = Monday;
String hour = am;

// Outer switch statement

switch (day) {
case Sunday:
System.out.println(Sunday is a Holiday...);
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 131 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

// Inner switch statement

switch (hour) {
case am:
System.out.println(Good Morning);
break;
case pm:
System.out.println(Good Evening);
break;
} // End of inner switch-case statement
break; // Terminates the outer case statement
case Monday:
System.out.println(Monday is a Working Day...);
switch (hour) {
case am:
System.out.println(Good Morning);
break;

case pm:
System.out.println(Good Evening);
break;
} // End of inner switch-case statement
break;
default:
System.out.println(Invalid Day);
} // End of the outer switch-case statement
}
}
Concepts

In the code, the variable, day is used as an expression with the outer switch statement. It is compared
with the list of cases provided with the outer switch-case statements. If the value of day variable
matches with Sunday or Monday, then the inner switch-case statement is executed. The inner
switch statement compares the value of hour variable with case constants am or pm.

132 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

The output of the code is shown in figure 4.12.

Figure 4.12: Output of Nested switch-case Statements

The three important features of switch-case statements are as follows:

The switch-case statement differs from the if statement, as it can only test for equality. The
if statement can test any type of boolean expression. In other words, the switch-case
statement looks only for a match between the value of the expression and one of its case
constants.

No two case constants in the same switch statement can have identical values, except the nested
switch-case statements.

A switch statement is more efficient and executes faster than a set of nested-if statements.

4.4 Comparison Between if and switch-case Statement

Though, the if and the switch-case decision-making statements have similar use in a program, but
there are distinct differences between them.
Table 4.1 lists the differences of if and switch-case statement.

if switch-case
Each if statement has its own logical Each case refers back to the original value of the
expression to be evaluated as true or expression in the switch statement
false
The variables in the expression may The expression must evaluate to a byte, short,
evaluate to a value of any type char, int, or String
Only one of the blocks of code is If the break statement is omitted, the execution
executed will continue into the next block
Concepts

Table 4.1: Difference Between if and switch-case Statement

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 133 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

4.5 Check Your Progress

1. You are trying to use the if statement to display the message 100 Not Equal. Which of the
following code will help you to achieve this?
int value = 100; int value = 100;
boolean bool = true; boolean bool = false;
if((bool==true) && if((bool==false) &&
((value+=100)==200)) { ((value+=100)==200)) {

System.out.printf(Equal System.out.printf(Equal
a. +value); c. +value); {
}
else{ }
else
System.out.println(value + System.out.println(value +
Not Equal ); Not Equal );
} }
int value = 100; int value = 100;
boolean bool = false; boolean bool = false;
if((bool==true) && if((bool==true) &&
((value==100)==200)) { ((value+=100)==200))
{
System.out.printf(Equal System.out.printf(Equal
b. +value); d. +value);
} }
else{ else
{
System.out.println(value + System.out.println(value +
Not Equal ); Not Equal );
} }
Concepts

(A) a (C) c

(B) b (D) d

134 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

2. You are using the switch-case statement to display the output value is ten. Which of the
following code will help you to achieve this?
int value = 10;
int value = 10;
switch(value)
switch(value)
{
{
case 10:
case 10:
System.out.println(value
is ten ); System.out.println(value is
ten );
break;
case 20:
a. case 20: c.
System.out.println(value is
System.out.println(value twenty );
is twenty );
default:
break;
System.out.println(Invalid
default: value );
System.out. break;
println(Invalid value );
}
}
int value = 10;
int value = 10;
switch(value)
switch(value)
{
{
case 10:
case 10:
System.out.println(value
is ten ); System.out.println(value is
ten );
case 20:
case 20:
b. System.out.println(value d.
is twenty ); System.out.println(value is
twenty );
break;
default:
default:
break;
System.out.
println(Invalid value ); System.out.println(Invalid
Concepts

value );
break;
}
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 135 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

(A) a (C) b

(B) c (D) d

3. Which of the following statements are true regarding nested-if statements?

The if statement should be

A nested-if statement should
a. c. within the same block as the else
always be used inside else block
statement
The inner if condition is evaluated
An else statement should always
b. d. only when the outer if condition is
refer to the nearest if statement
false

(A) a and b (C) a and c

(B) b and c (D) c and d

4. The _____ statement is used inside the switch-case statement to terminate the execution of the
statement sequence.

(A) switch (C) case

(B) default (D) break

5. Match the decision-making constructs with their corresponding syntax.

Construct Syntax

if(condition) {
// one or more statements
} else if (condition) {
a. if 1. // one or more statements
Concepts

} else {
// one or more statements
}

136 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

if(condition) {
if(condition)
true-block statement(s);
else
b. if-else 2. false-block statement(s);
}
else {
false-block statement(s);
}
if (condition) {
// one or more statements;
c. nested-if 3. } else {
// one or more statements;
}
if (condition){
d. if-else-if 4. // one or more statements;
}

(A) a-3, b-2, c-4, d-1 (C) a-1, b-2, c-4, d-3

(B) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1 (D) a-4, b-1, c-2, d-3

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 137 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

4.5.1 Answers
1. C
2. A
3. B
4. D
5. B
Concepts

138 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

Summary
A Java program is a set of statements, which are executed sequentially in the order in which they
appear.
The three categories of control flow statements supported by Java programming language include:
conditional, iteration, and branching statements.
The if statement is the most basic decision-making statement that evaluates a given condition and
based on result of evaluation executes a certain section of code.
The if-else statement defines a block of statements to be executed when a condition is evaluated
to false.
The multiple if construct is known as the if-else-if ladder with conditions evaluated sequentially
from the top of the ladder.
The switch-case statement can be used as an alternative approach for multiple selections. It is
used when a variable needs to be compared against different values. Java SE 7 supports strings
and enumerations in the switch-case statement.
A switch statement can also be used as a part of another switch statement. This is known as
nested switch-case statements.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 139 of 456

 4
Session Decision-Making Constructs

Try it Yourself
1. Lifemaxi is an insurance company situated in Leeds, United Kingdom. It has employed insurance
agents that provide information to the customers about the various policies and loan amount. To
speed their business and also help agents to solve the customer queries, the company has decided
to design a software application in Java.
You being a developer in the team have been assigned the task to develop the Java application. The
application should help a loan agent to calculate whether the customer is eligible for loan or not.
The criterias that are required to be considered to automate the loan policy are as follows:
Personal
Age category Gender Profession Loan amount eligible
assets
16 -25 M/F Self-Employed / Professional >25000 10000/ Professional 15000
26 - 40 M Self-Employed / Professional > 40000 25000/ Female 30000
41 - 60 M/F Self-Employed / Professional > 50000 40000
35000 Age * 100/
> 60 M/F Self-Employed / Retired > 25000
Retired 25000 Age * 100

2. Write a program that accepts a letter as an input and checks whether the entered letter is a vowel
or a consonant.
3. Write a program that accepts a deposit amount from the user and calculates the amount of interest
earned in a year. The bank pays the following interest rate depending on the amount deposited:
a. 4% for deposits of up to 2000
b. 4.5% for deposits of up to 7000
c. 5% for deposits of more than 7000
Concepts

140 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 Session - 5
Looping Constructs
Welcome to the Session, Looping Constructs.

This session explains different types of looping statements available in

Java programming language. The looping statements are also referred to
as iterative statements. They enable the developer to execute one or more
statements repeatedly during program execution. The session also covers
the various jump statements, also called as branching statements used in
Java.

In this Session, you will learn to:

List the different types of loops

Explain the while statement and the associated rules

Identify the purpose of the do-while statement

State the need of for statement

Describe nested loops

Compare the different types of loops

State the purpose of jump statements

Describe break statement

Describe continue statement

 5
Session Looping Constructs

5.1 Introduction
A computer program consists of a set of statements, which are usually executed sequentially. However,
in certain situations, it is necessary to repeat certain steps to meet a specified condition.
For example, if the user wants to write a program that calculates and displays the sum of the first 10
numbers 1, 2, 3. . , 10. Then, one way to calculate the same is as follows:
1+2=3
3+3=6
6+4=10
10+5=15
15+6=21
. . .
. . .
and so on.
This technique is suitable for relatively small calculations. However, if the program requires adding the
first 200 numbers, it would be tedious to add up all the numbers from 1 to 200 using the mentioned
technique. In such situations, iterations or loops come to our rescue.
Figure 5.1 shows the program that displays the multiples of 10.

Figure 5.1: Program Multiples of 10

As shown in figure 5.1, the same statement is repeating 5 times to display the multiple of 10 with 1, 2, 3,
4, and 5. Thus, a loop can be used in this situation.
Concepts

5.1.1 Looping Statements

Loops enable programmers to develop concise programs, which otherwise would require thousands of
program statements. A loop consists of statement or a block of statements that are repeatedly executed,
until a condition evaluates to true or false.

142 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

The loop statements supported by Java programming language are as follows:

while statement

do-while statement

for statement

for-each statement

5.2 while Statement

The while statement is the most fundamental looping statement in Java. It is used to execute a statement
or a block of statements until the specified condition is true. Normally, it is used when the number of
times the block has to be executed is not known.
The syntax to use the while statement is as follows:
Syntax:
while (expression) {

// one or more statements

}
where,
expression: Is a conditional expression which must return a boolean value, that is, true or false.
The use of curly braces ({}) is optional. They can be avoided, if there is only a single statement within
the body of the loop. However, providing statements within the curly braces increases the readability of
the code.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 143 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

Figure 5.2 shows the flow of execution of while loop.

Figure 5.2: Flow of Execution while Loop

The body of the loop contains a set of statements. These statements will be executed until the conditional
expression evaluates to true. When the conditional expression evaluates to false, the loop is terminated
and the control passes to the statement immediately following the loop.
Code Snippet 1 demonstrates the code that displays multiples of 10 using the while loop.
Code Snippet 1:

public class PrintMultiplesWithWhileLoop {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
Concepts

// Variable, num acts as a counter variable

int num = 1;

144 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

// Variable, product will store the result

int product = 0;

// Tests the condition at the beginning of the loop

while (num <= 5) {

product = num * 10;

System.out.printf(\n %d * 10 = %d, num, product);
num++; // Equivalent to n = n + 1

} // Moves the control back to the while statement

// Statement gets printed on loop termination

System.out.println(\n Outside the Loop);
}
}

In the code, an integer variable, num is declared to store a number. The variable num is initialized to 1 and
is used in the while loop to start multiplication from 1.
The conditional expression num <= 5 is evaluated at the beginning of the while loop. This ensures
that the body of the loop is executed only if the conditional expression evaluates to true. In this case,
as the value in the variable, num is less than 5, hence, the statements present in the body of the loop is
executed. The first statement within the body of the loop calculates the product by multiplying num with
10. The next statement prints this value. The last statement num++ increments the value of num by 1. The
loop continues as long as the value of num is less than or equal to 5. The execution of the loop stops when
condition becomes false, that is, when the value of num reaches 6.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 145 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

The output of the code is shown in figure 5.3.

Figure 5.3: Output of while Statement

5.2.1 Null Statement in Loops

There are situations when you are required to write a loop without any action statement to delay a
process. In other words, the body of the while loop is empty, that is, there are no statements in the
body of the loop. Such a loop is referred to as null statement loop, as the loop is terminated with a
semicolon. This loop is syntactically correct in Java.
Code Snippet 2 demonstrates a code that prints the midpoint of two numbers with an empty while
loop.
Code Snippet 2:

public class TestWhileEmptyBody {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int num1 = 1;
int num2 = 30;
// An empty while loop with no statements
Concepts

while (++num1 < --num2);

// The statement executes after the while loop is completed
System.out.println(Midpoint is: + num1);
}
}

146 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

As shown in the code, the value of num1 is incremented and the value of num2 is decremented. These
values are then compared with one another. The loop repeats till the value of num1 is equal to or greater
than num2. Thus, upon exit num1 will hold a value that is midway between the original values of num1
and num2.
The output of the code is shown in figure 5.4.

Figure 5.4: Output of while Loop with Empty Body

5.2.2 Rules for Using while Loop

The following points should be noted when using the while statement:

The value of the variables used in the expression must be set at some point before the while
loop is reached. This process is called the initialization of variables and has to be performed once
before the execution of the loop. For example, num = 1;

The body of the loop must have an expression that changes the value of the variable which is a
part of the loops expression. For example, num++; or num--;

5.2.3 Infinite Loop

An infinite loop is one which never terminates. The loop runs infinitely when the conditional expression
or the increment/decrement expression of the loop is missing. Any type of loop can be an infinite loop.
Code Snippet 3 shows the implementation of an infinite loop using the while statement.
Code Snippet 3:

public class InfiniteWhileLoop {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
Concepts

public static void main(String[] args) {

/*
* Loop begins with a boolean value true and is executed

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 147 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

* infinitely as the terminating condition is missing

*/
while (true) {
System.out.println(Welcome to Loops...);
} //End of the while loop
}
}

In the code, the conditional expression is set to a boolean value, true. The loop never terminates as the
expression always returns a true value. This leads to an infinite loop.
The program executing the loop infinitely must be terminated manually or a break statement should be
used to terminate such loops.

5.3 do-while Statement

In the while loop, evaluation of conditional expression is done at the beginning of the loop. Hence, if the
condition is initially false, then the body of the loop is not executed at all. Thus, to execute the body of
the loop at least once, it is desirable to use the do-while loop.
The do-while statement checks the condition at the end of the loop rather than at the beginning.
This ensures that the loop is executed at least once. The condition of the do-while statement usually
comprises a condition expression that evaluates to a boolean value.
The syntax to use the do-while statement is as follows:
Syntax:
do {

statement(s);
}
while (expression);
where,
expression: A conditional expression which must return a boolean value, that is, true or false.
Concepts

statement (s): Indicates body of the loop with a set of statements.

148 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

Figure 5.5 shows the flow of execution for the do-while loop.

Figure 5.5: Flow of Execution do-while Loop

For each iteration, the do-while loop first executes the body of the loop and then, the conditional
expression is evaluated. When the conditional expression evaluates to true, the body of the loop
executes. When the conditional expression evaluates to false, the loop terminates and the statement
following the loop is executed.
Code Snippet 4 demonstrates the use of do-while loop for finding the sum of 10 numbers.
Code Snippet 4:

public class SumOfNumbers {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
Concepts

public static void main(String[] args) {

int num = 1, sum = 0;
/*
* The body of the loop is executed first, then the condition is evaluated
*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 149 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

do {
sum = sum + num;
num++;
} while (num <= 10);

// Prints the value of variable after the loop terminates

System.out.printf(Sum of 10 Numbers: %d\n, sum);
}
}

In the code, two integer variables, num and sum are declared and initialized to 1 and 0 respectively. The
loop block begins with a do statement. The first statement in the body of the loop calculates the value
of sum by adding the current value of sum with num and the next statement in the loop increments the
value of num by 1. Next, the condition, num <= 10, included in the while statement is evaluated. If the
condition is met, the instructions in the loop are repeated. If the condition is not met (that is, when the
value of num becomes 11), the loop terminates and the value in the variable sum is printed.
The output of the code is shown in figure 5.6.

Figure 5.6: Output of do-while Loop

5.4 for Statement

The for loop is especially used when the user knows the number of times the statements need to be
executed. It is similar to the while statement in its function. The statements within the body of the loop
are executed as long as the condition is true. Here too, the condition is checked before the statements
are executed.
Concepts

150 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

The syntax to use the for statement is as follows:

Syntax:
for(initialization; condition; increment/decrement) {

// one or more statements

}
where,
initialization: Is an expression that will set the initial value of the loop control variable.
condition: Is a boolean expression that test the value of loop control variable. If the condition expression
evaluates to true, the loop executes. If condition expression evaluates to false, the loop terminates.
increment/decrement: Comprises statement that changes the value of the loop control variable (s)
in each iteration, till the condition specified in the condition section is reached. Typically, increment and
decrement operators, such as ++, --, and shortcut operators, such as += or -= are used in this section.
There is no semicolon at the end of the increment/decrement expressions. All the three declaration parts
are separated by semicolons (;).
Figure 5.7 shows the flow of execution for the for statement.

Concepts

Figure 5.7: Flow of Execution for Statement

As shown in figure 5.7, the execution of the loop starts with the initialization section. Generally, this is an
expression that sets the value of the loop control variable and acts as a counter variable that controls the
loop. The initialization expression is executed only once, that is, when the loop starts. Next, the boolean
expression is evaluated and tests the loop control variable against a targeted value.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 151 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

If the expression is true, then the body of the loop is executed and if the expression is false, then the
loop terminates. Lastly, the iteration portion of the loop is executed. This expression usually increments
or decrements value of the control variable. In the next iteration, again the condition section is evaluated
and depending on the result of evaluation the loop is either continued or terminated.
Code Snippet 5 demonstrates the use of for statement for displaying the multiples of 10.
Code Snippet 5:

public class PrintMultiplesWithForLoop {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int num, product;
// The for Loop with all the three declaration parts
for (num = 1; num <= 5; num++) {
product = num * 10;;
System.out.printf(\n % d * 10 = % d , num, product);
} // Moves the control back to the for loop
}
}

In the initialization section of the for loop, the num variable is initialized to 1. The condition statement,
num <= 5, ensures that the for loop executes as long as num is less than or equal to 5. The increment
statement, num++, increments the value of num by 1. The increment/decrement expression is evaluated
after the first round of iteration and continues till the condition evaluates to false. Finally, the loop
terminates when the condition becomes false, that is, when the value of num becomes equal to 6.
The output of the code is shown in figure 5.8.
Concepts

Figure 5.8: Output of Simple for Loop

152 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

5.4.1 Scope of Control Variables in for Statement

Mostly control variables are used within the for loops and may not be used further in the program. In such
a situation, it is possible to restrict the scope of variables by declaring them at the time of initialization.
Code Snippet 6 rewrites the Code Snippet 5 to declare the counter variable inside the for statement.
Code Snippet 6:

public class ForLoopWithVariables {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int product;
// The counter variable, num is declared inside the for loop
for (int num = 1; num <= 5; num++) {
product = num * 10;;
System.out.printf(\n % d * 10 = % d , num, product);
} // End of the for loop
}
}

In the code, the variable num is not required further in the program, so, it has been declared inside the
for statement. This restricts the scope of the variable, num to the for statement. The scope of variable
completes when the loop terminates. The output of the program will be same as Code Snippet 5.

5.4.2 Use of Comma Operator in for Statement

The for statement can be extended by including more than one initialization or increment expressions
in the for loop specification. The expressions are separated by using the comma (,) operator and
evaluated from left to right. The order of the evaluation is important, if the value of the second expression
depends on the newly calculated value.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 153 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

Code Snippet 7 demonstrates the use of for loop to print the addition table for two variables using the
comma operator.
Code Snippet 7:

public class ForLoopWithComma {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int i, j;
int max = 10;
/*
* The initialization and increment/decrement section includes
* more than one variable
*/
for (i = 0, j = max; i <= max; i++, j--) {
System.out.printf(\n%d + %d = %d, i, j, i + j);
}
}
}

As shown in the code, three integer variables i, j, and max are declared. The variable max is assigned a
value 10. Further, within the initialization section of the for loop, the i variable is assigned a value of
0 and j is assigned the value of max, that is, 10. Thus, two parameters are initialized using a comma
operator. The condition statement, i <= max, ensures that the for loop executes as long as i is less than
or equal to max that is 10. The loop exits when the condition becomes false, that is, when the value of i
becomes equal to 11. Finally, the iteration expression again consists of two expressions, i++, j--. After
each iteration, i is incremented by 1 and j is decremented by 1. The sum of these two variables which is
always equal to max is printed.
Concepts

154 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

The output of the code is shown in figure 5.9.

Figure 5.9: Output of for Loop Using Comma Operator

5.4.3 Variation in for Loop

The for loop is very powerful and flexible in its structure. This means that all the three parts of the for
loop must not be declared and used only within the loop.
The most common variation involves the conditional expression. Mostly, the conditional expression is
tested with the targeted values, but, it can also be used for testing boolean expressions. Alternatively, the
initialization or the iteration section in the for loop may be left empty, that is, they need not be present
in the for loop.
Code Snippet 8 demonstrates the use of for loop without the initialization expression.
Code Snippet 8:

public class ForLoopWithNoInitialization {

public static void main(String[] args) {

/*
* Counter variable declared and initialized outside for loop
*/
int num = 1;
/*
Concepts

* Boolean variable initialized to false

*/
boolean flag = false;

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 155 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

/*
* The for loop starts with num value 1 and
* continues till value of flag is not true
*/
for (; !flag; num++) {
System.out.println(Value of num: + num);
if (num == 5) {
flag = true;
}
} // End of for loop
}
}

The for loop in the code continues to execute till the value of the variable flag is set to true.
The output of the code is shown in figure 5.10.

Figure 5.10: Output of for Loop with Empty Initialization Section

5.4.4 Infinite for Loop

If all the three expressions are left empty, then it will lead to an infinite loop. The infinite for loop will
run continuously because there is no condition specified to terminate it.
Concepts

156 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

Code Snippet 9 demonstrates the code for the infinite loop.

Code Snippet 9:

.....
for( ; ; ) {
System.out.println(This will go on and on);
}
.....

The code will print This will go on and on until the loop is terminated manually. The break
statement can be used to terminate such loops. Infinite loops make the program run indefinitely for
a long time resulting in the consumption of all resources and stopping the system. Thus, it is a good
practice to avoid using such loops in a program.
When the number of user inputs in a program is not known beforehand, an infinite loop can be used
in a program, where it will wait indefinitely for user input. Thus, when a user input is received, system
processes the input, and again starts executing the infinite loop.

5.4.5 Enhanced for Loop

The Java SE 5 extended the basic for loop to increase the readability of the loop. The newer version of
the for loop implements a for-each style loop. It is also referred to as enhanced for loop.
The enhanced for loop is designed to retrieve or traverse through a collection of objects, such as
an array. It is also used to iterate over the elements of the collection objects, such as ArrayList,
LinkedList, HashSet, and so on. These classes are defined in the collection framework and are used
to store objects.
The syntax for using the enhanced for loop is as follows:
Syntax:
for (type var: collection) {
// block of statement
}
where,
type: Specifies the type of collection that is traversed.
Concepts

var: Is an iteration variable that stores the elements from the collection. The for-each loop traverses
from beginning to end and in each iteration the element is retrieved and stored in the var variable.
The enhanced for loop continues till all the elements from a collection are retrieved.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 157 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

Table 5.1 shows the method for retrieving elements from an array object using enhanced for loop and
its equivalent for loop.

for Loop Enhanced for Loop

type var; for (type var : arr)
for (int i = 0; i < arr. {
length; i++)
. . .
{
// Body of the loop
var = arr[i];
. . .
. . ,
}
}

Table 5.1: Enhanced for Loop and its Equivalent for Loop

5.5 Nested Loop

The placing of a loop statement inside the body of another loop statement is called nesting of loops. For
example, a while statement can be enclosed within a do-while statement and a for statement can
be enclosed within a while statement. When you nest two loops, the outer loop controls the number of
times the inner loop is executed. For each iteration of the outer loop, the inner loop will be executed till
its condition section evaluates to false.
There can be any number of combinations between the three loops. While all types of loop statements
may be nested, the most commonly nested loops are formed by for statements. The for loop can be
nested within another for loop forming nested-for loop.
Code Snippet 10 demonstrates the use of a nested-for loop for displaying a pattern.
Code Snippet 10:

public class DisplayPattern {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int row, col;
Concepts

// The outer for loop executes 5 times

for (row = 1; row <= 5; row++) {

158 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

/*
* For each iteration, the inner for loop will execute from col = 1
* and will continue, till the value of col is less than or equal to row
*/
for (col = 1; col <= row; col++) {
System.out.print( * );
} // End of inner for loop

System.out.println();
} // End of outer for loop
}
}

In the code, the outer for loop starts with the counter variable row whose initial value is set to 1. As
the condition, row < 5 is evaluated to true, the body of the outer for loop gets executed. The body
contains an inner for loop which starts with the counter variables value col set to 1. The iteration of
the inner loop executes till the value of col is less than or equal to the value of row variable. Once the
value of col is greater than row, the inner for loop terminates.
Then, the control moves to the outer for loop and the value of the variable row is incremented by 1. The
outer loop continues, till the value of row is not greater than 5. For each iteration of the outer loop, the
inner for loop is reinitialized and continues till the condition evaluates to false.
The output of the code is shown in figure 5.11.

Concepts

Figure 5.11: Output of Nested-for Loop

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 159 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

5.6 Comparison of Loops

The type of loop that is selected while writing a program depends on good programming practice.
A loop written using the while statement can also be rewritten using the for statement and vice versa.
The do-while statement can be rewritten using the while or the for statement. However, this is not
advisable because the do-while statement is executed at least once. When the number of times the
statements within the loop should be executed is known, the for statement is used.
Table 5.2 lists the differences between while/for and do-while loops.

while/for do-while
Loop is pre-tested. The condition is checked Loop is post-tested. The condition is checked after
before the statements within the loop are the statements within the loop are executed.
executed.
The loop does not get executed if the The loop gets executed at least once even if the
condition is not satisfied at the beginning. condition is not satisfied at the beginning.
Table 5.2: Difference Between while/for and do-while

5.7 Jump Statements

At times, the exact number of times the loop has to be executed is known only during runtime. In such
a case, the condition to terminate the loop can be enclosed within the body of the loop. At other times,
based on a condition, the remaining statements present in the body of the loop needs to be skipped. Java
supports jump statements that unconditionally transfer control to locations within a program known as
target of jump statements.
Java provides two keywords: break and continue that serves diverse purposes. However, both are
used within loops to change the flow of control based on conditions.

5.7.1 break Statement

The break statement in Java is used in two ways. First, it can be used to terminate a case in the switch
statement. Second, it forces immediate termination of a loop, bypassing the loops normal conditional
test.
When the break statement is encountered inside a loop, the loop is immediately terminated and the
program control is passed to the statement following the loop. If used within a set of nested loops, the
break statement will terminate the innermost loop.
Concepts

160 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

Code Snippet 11 demonstrates the use of break statement.

Code Snippet 11:
public class AcceptNumbers {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int cnt, number; // cnt variable is a counter variable

for (cnt = 1, number = 0; cnt <= 10; cnt++) {

// Scanner class is used to accept data from the keyboard
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.println(Enter a number: );
number = input.nextInt();
if (number == 0) {
// break statement terminates the loop
break;
} // End if statement
} // End of for statement
}
}

In the code, the user is prompted to enter a number, and this is stored in the variable, number. This is
repeated 10 times. However, if the user enters the number zero, the loop terminates and the control is
passed to the next statement after the loop.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 161 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

The output of the code is shown in figure 5.12 with different values entered by the user.

Figure 5.12: Output of break Statement

5.7.2 continue Statement

Java provides another keyword named continue to skip statements within a loop and proceed to the
next iteration of the loop. In while and do-while loops, a continue statement transfers the control
to the conditional expression which controls the loop.
Code Snippet 12 demonstrates the code that uses continue statement in printing the square and cube
root of a number.
Code Snippet 12:

public class NumberRoot {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int cnt, square, cube;
Concepts

// Loop continues till the remainder of the division is 0

162 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

for (cnt = 1; cnt < 300; cnt++) {

if (cnt % 3 == 0) {
continue;
}
square = cnt * cnt;
cube = cnt * cnt * cnt;
System.out.printf(\nSquare of %d is %d and Cube is %d, cnt, square, cube);
} // End of the for loop
}
}

The code declares a variable cnt and uses the for statement which contains the initialization, termination,
and increment expression. In the body of the loop, the value of cnt is divided by 3 and the remainder is
checked. If the remainder is 0, the continue statement is used to skip the rest of the statements in the
body of the loop. If remainder is not 0, the if statement evaluates to false, and the square and cube
of cnt is calculated and displayed.
The output of the code is shown in figure 5.13.

Concepts

Figure 5.13: Output of continue Statement

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 163 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

5.7.3 Labeled Statements

Java does not support goto statements, as they are difficult to understand and maintain. However, there
are some situations where the goto statement proves to be useful. It can be used within constructs to
control the flow of statements. For example, to exit from a deeply nested set of loops, goto statement
can be useful.
Java defines an expanded form of break and continue statements. These expanded forms can be used
within any block. It is not necessary that the blocks must be part of loop or a switch statement. These
forms are referred to as labeled statements. Using labeled statements, you can precisely specify the
point from which the execution should resume.
The syntax to declare the labeled break statement is as follows:
Syntax:
break label;
where,
label: Is an identifier specified to put a name to a block. It can be any valid Java identifiers followed by
a colon.
The labeled block must contain a break statement, but not necessarily in the immediate enclosing block.
The labeled break statement can be used to exit from a set of nested blocks.
Code Snippet 13 demonstrates the use of labeled break statement.
Code Snippet 13:

public class TestLabeledBreak {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
int i;
outer:
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
if (i == 2) {
Concepts

System.out.println(Hello);
// Break out of outer loop
break outer; }
System.out.println(This is the outer loop.);
}

164 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

System.out.println(Good - Bye);
}
}

In the code, the loop will execute for five times. The first two times it displays the sentence This is the
outer loop. In the third round of iteration the value of i is set to 2. Thus, it enters the if statement
and prints Hello. Next, the break statement is encountered and the control passes to the label named
outer:. Thus, the loop terminates and the last statement is printed.
The output of the code is shown in figure 5.14.

Figure 5.14: Output of labeled break Statement

Similar to labeled break statement, you can specify a label to enclose a loop that continues with the next
iteration of the loop.
Code Snippet 14 demonstrates the use of labeled continue statement.
Code Snippet 14:

public class NumberPyramid {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
outer:
for (int i = 1; i < 5; i++) {
for (int j = 1; j < 5; j++) {
Concepts

if (j > i) {
System.out.println();

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 165 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

/* Terminates the loop counting j and continues the

* next iteration of the loop counting i
*/
continue outer;
} // End of if statement
System.out.print(j);
} // End of inner for loop
System.out.println(\nThis is the outer loop.);
} //End of outer for loop
System.out.println(Good-Bye);
}
}

The output of the code is shown in figure 5.15.

Figure 5.15: Output of labeled continue Statement

Concepts

166 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

5.8 Check Your Progress

1. You are using a code snippet to print the value of sum as 6. Which of the following code snippet
will help you to achieve this?
int sum = 0; int sum = 0;
int number = 1; int number = 0;
do { number++; do { number++;
(A) sum += number; (C) sum += number;
if (sum > 4) break; if (sum > 4) break;
}while (number < 5); }while (number < 5);
System.out.println(sum); System.out.println(sum);
int sum = 0; int sum = 0;
int number = 0; int number = 0;
do { number++; do { number++;
(B) sum += number; (D) sum += number;
if (sum > 6) break; if (sum > 4) break;
}while (number < 5); }while (number == 5);
System.out.println(sum); System.out.println(sum);

2. You want the output to be displayed as 95 91 87 83. Can you arrange the steps in sequence to
achieve the same?

a. System.out.println(i);

b. i++;}

c. int i = 100;

d. i -= 5;

e. while(i >= 85){

Concepts

(A) c, e, d, a, b (C) e, c, a, d, b

(B) a, c, d, e, b (D) d, e, c, a, b

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 167 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

3. Which of the following statements about do-while statements are true?

a. do-while statement tests the condition after the first iteration of the loop

In do-while, if the condition is true, the control passes back to the top of the
b.
loop
c. In do-while, if the condition is true, the loop terminates

d. do-while statements is executed at least once

e. do-while tests the condition at the beginning of the loop

(A) a, b, and c (C) b, c, and d

(B) a, b, and d (D) c, d, and e

4. Match the different types of loops against their corresponding description.

Description Loop

Executed at least once before the condition is

a. 1. while
checked at the end of the loop
Used when the user is sure about the number of
b. 2. continue
iterations required
Variable used in the expression is initialized before
c. 3. for
the loop starts
Skip statements within a loop and proceed to the
d. 4. do-while
next iteration of the loop

(A) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2 (C) a-2, b-1, c-3, d-4

(B) a-1, b-2, c-3, d-4 (D) a-4, b-3, c-1, d-2

5. The one or more expressions used in for statement are separated by the ____ operator.
Concepts

(A) ; (C) ,

(B) && (D) ||

168 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

5.8.1 Answers
1. B
2. A
3. B
4. D
5. C

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 169 of 456

 5
Session Looping Constructs

Summary
Loops enable programmers to develop concise programs, which otherwise would require
thousands of lines of program statements.
The loop statements supported by Java are namely, while, do-while, and for.
The while loop is used to execute a statement or a block of statements until the specified
condition is true.
The do-while statement checks for condition at the end of the loop rather than at the beginning
to ensure that the loop is executed at least once.
The for loop is especially used when the user knows the number of times the statements need to
be executed in the code block of the loop. The three parts of for statement are initialization,
condition, increment/decrement.
The placing of a loop in the body of another loop is called nesting.
Java provides two keywords namely, break and continue that serve diverse purposes. However,
both are used with loops to change the flow of control.
Concepts

170 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 5
Session Looping Constructs

Try it Yourself
1. Consider the following code snippet:
if (aNumber >= 0)
if (aNumber == 0)
System.out.println(first string);
else System.out.println(second string);
System.out.println(third string);
What output will the code produce, if the value in the variable, aNumber is 3?
To make the code clear and understandable, put the braces ({}) in the code at appropriate
places.

2. Write a program to develop a menu for the calculator program. Accept the choice from the user and
display an appropriate message. Further, to continue with the menu, ask for confirmation in
Yes/No.

3. Write a program to display all the prime numbers between the two numbers.

4. Write a program to display the sum of all the digits for the accepted number.
For example, if number entered as 1345, then sum of all digits will be 1 + 3 + 4 + 5.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 171 of 456



The real voyage of discovery
consists not in seeing new
landscapes but in having new eyes.
 Session - 6
Classes and Objects
Welcome to the Session, Classes and Objects.

The session explains class declaration and instantiation of objects using

the new operator. It further proceeds and explains the members of a class
that include: instance variables, instance methods, and constructors. It
explains dynamic allocation of objects in the heap. Finally, the session
explains the data encapsulation feature of OOP which hides the details
of a class from the other components of an application and also explains
object initializers.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Explain the process of creation of classes in Java

Explain the instantiation of objects in Java

Explain the purpose of instance variables and instance

methods

Explain constructors in Java

Explain the memory management in Java

Explain object initializers

 6
Session Classes and Objects

6.1 Introduction
The class is a logical construct that defines the shape and nature of an object. As it is the prime unit of
execution for object-oriented programming in Java, so any concept in Java program must be encapsulated
within the class.
In Java, class is defined as a new data type. This data type is used to create objects of its type. Each object
created from the class contains its own copy of the attributes defined in the class. The attributes are
also referred to as fields and represents the state of an object. The initialization of objects is done using
constructors and the behavior of the objects is defined using methods.

6.2 Declaring a Class

A class declaration should begin with the keyword class followed by the name of the class that is being
declared.
Besides this, following are some conventions to be followed while naming a class:

Class name should be a noun.

Class name can be in mixed case, with the first letter of each internal word capitalized.

Class name should be simple, descriptive, and meaningful.

Class name cannot be Java keywords.

Class name cannot begin with a digit. However, they can begin with a dollar ($) symbol or an
underscore character.
The syntax to declare a class in Java is as follows:
Syntax:
class <class_name> {

// class body

}
Concepts

Class declaration is enclosed within code blocks. In other words, the body of the class is enclosed between
the area between the curly braces. In the class body, you can declare members, such as fields, methods,
and constructors.

174 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Figure 6.1 shows the declaration of a sample class.

Figure 6.1: A Sample Class

Code Snippet 1 shows the code for declaring a class Customer.
Code Snippet 1:

class Customer {

// body of class

In the code, a class is declared that acts as a new data type. The name of the new data type is Customer.
This data type declaration is just a template for creating multiple objects with similar features and does
not occupy any memory.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 175 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

6.3 Creating Objects

Objects are the actual instances of the class.

6.3.1 Declaring and Creating an Object

An object is created using the new operator. On encountering the new operator, JVM allocates memory
for the object and returns a reference or memory address of the allocated object. The reference or
memory address is then stored in a variable. This variable is also called as reference variable.
The syntax for creating an object is as follows:
Syntax:
<class_name> <object_name> = new <class_name> ();
where,
new: Is an operator that allocates the memory for an object at runtime.
object_name: Is the variable that stores the reference of the object.
Code Snippet 2 demonstrates the creation of an object in a Java program.
Code Snippet 2:

Customer objCustomer = new Customer();

The expression on the right side, new Customer() allocates the memory at runtime. After the memory
is allocated for the object, it returns the reference or address of the allocated object, which is stored in
the variable, objCustomer.

6.3.2 Creation of an Object: Two Stage Process

Alternatively, an object can be created using two steps that are declaration of a reference variable and
dynamic memory allocation of an object.
Using this approach, an object reference is declared first, without using the new operator.
The syntax for declaring the object reference is as follows:
<class_name> <object_name>;
where,
object_name: Is just a variable that will not point to any memory location.
Concepts

176 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Figure 6.2 shows the effect of the statement, Customer objCustomer; which just declares a reference
variable.

Figure 6.2: Declaration of a Reference Variable

By default, the value null is stored in the objects reference variable. In other words, it means that it
does not point to an actual object. The object, objCustomer acts as a reference to an object of type
Customer. If objCustomer is used at this point of time, without being instantiated, then the program
will result in a compile time error.
Hence, before using such an object, the object should be initialized using the new operator. The
new operator will dynamically allocate memory for an object. For example, objCustomer = new
Customer();. This statement will allocate memory for the object and memory address of the allocated
object is stored in the variable objCustomer.
Figure 6.3 shows the creation of object in the memory and storing of its reference in the variable,
objCustomer.

Figure 6.3: Creation of Object

6.4 Members of a Class

The members of a class are fields and methods. Fields define the state of an object created from the
class and are referred to as instance variables. The methods are used to implement the behavior of the
objects and are referred as instance methods.
Concepts

6.4.1 Instance Variables

The fields or variables defined within a class are called instance variables. Instance variables are used to
store data in them. They are called instance variables because each instance of the class, that is, objects
of that class will have its own copy of the instance variables. This means, each object of the class will
contain instance variables during creation.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 177 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Consider a scenario where the Customer class represents the details of customers holding accounts
in a bank. In this scenario, a typical question that can be asked is What are the different data that are
required to identify a customer in a banking domain and represent it as a single object?.
Figure 6.4 shows a Customer object with its data requirement.

Figure 6.4: Data Requirements for Customer Object

As shown in figure 6.4, the identified data requirements for a bank customer includes: Customer ID, Name,
Address, and Age. To map these data requirements in a Customer class, instance variables are declared.
Each instances created from the Customer class will have its own copy of the instance variables.
Concepts

178 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Figure 6.5 shows various instances of the class with their own copy of instance variables.

Figure 6.5: Concept of Instance Variables

As shown in figure 6.5, each instance of the class has its own instance variables initialized with unique
data. Any changes made to the instance variables of one object will not affect the instance variables of
another object.
The syntax to declare an instance variable within a class is as follows:
Syntax:
[access_modifier] data_type instanceVariableName;
where,
access_modifier: Is an optional keyword specifying the access level of an instance variable. It could be
private, protected, and public.
data_type: Specifies the data type of the variable.
instanceVariableName: Specifies the name of the variable.
Instance variables are declared in the same way as local variables. Instance variables are declared inside
Concepts

a class, but outside any method definitions. They can be accessed only through the objects using the dot
operator (.).

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 179 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Code Snippet 3 demonstrates the declaration of instance variables within a class in the Java program.
Code Snippet 3:

1: public class Customer {

2: // Declare instance variables
3: int customerID;
4: String customerName;
5: String customerAddress;
6: int customerAge;

7: /* As main() method is a member of class, so it can access other

8: * members of the class
*/
9: public static void main(String[] args) {
10: // Declares and instantiates an object of type Customer
11: Customer objCustomer1 = new Customer();

12: // Accesses the instance variables to store values

13: objCustomer1.customerID = 100;
14: objCustomer1.customerName = John;
15: objCustomer1.customerAddress = 123 Street;
16: objCustomer1.customerAge = 30;

17: // Displays the objCustomer1 object details

18: System.out.println(Customer Identification Number: +
objCustomer1.customerID);
19: System.out.println(Customer Name: + objCustomer1.customerName);
20: System.out.println(Customer Address: + objCustomer1.
customerAddress);
Concepts

21: System.out.println(Customer Age: + objCustomer1.customerAge);

}
}

180 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

In the code, lines 3 to 6 declares instance variables. Line 11 creates an object of type Customer and
stores its reference in the variable, objCustomer1. Lines 13 to 16 accesses the instance variables and
assigns them the values. Note, that to assign value to the instance variable, you qualify the variable name
with an instance name followed by a dot operator.
Finally, lines 18 to 21 display the values assigned to the instance variables for the object,
objCustomer1.
Figure 6.6 shows the allocation of Customer object in the memory. The reference of the object is stored
in the variable, objCustomer1 which is of type Customer.

Figure 6.6: Creation of Customer Object

The output of the code is shown in figure 6.7.

Figure 6.7: Output - Declaration of Instance Variables

Concepts

6.4.2 Instance Methods

Instance methods are functions declared in a class and are used to perform operations on the instance
variables. An instance method implements the behavior of an object. It can be accessed by instantiating
an object of the class in which it is defined and then, invoking the method. For example, the class Car can
have a method Brake() that represents the Apply Brake action. To perform the action, the method
Brake() will have to be invoked by an object of class Car.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 181 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

The instance method can access instance variables declared within the class and manipulate the data in
the field.
Following conventions have to be followed while naming a method:

Cannot be a Java keyword.

Cannot contain spaces.

Cannot begin with a digit.

Can begin with a letter, underscore, or a $ symbol.

Should be a verb in lowercase.

Should be descriptive and meaningful.

Should be a multi-word name that begins with a verb in lowercase, followed by adjectives, nouns,
and so forth.
Figure 6.8 shows the instance methods declared in the class, Customer that are invoked by all the
instances of the class.

Figure 6.8: Instance Methods

Concepts

182 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

The syntax to declare an instance method in a class is as follows:

Syntax:
[access_modifier] <return type> <method_name> ([list of parameters]) {

// Body of the method

}
where,
access_modifier: Is an optional keyword specifying the access level of an instance method. It could be
private, protected, and public.
returntype: Specifies the data type of the value that is returned by the method.
method_name: Is the method name.
list of parameters: Are the values passed to the method.
Figure 6.9 shows the declaration of an instance method within the class.

Figure 6.9: Declaration of an Instance Method

Each instance of the class has its own instance variables, but the instance methods are shared by all the
instances of the class during execution.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 183 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Code Snippet 4 demonstrates the code that declares instance methods within the class, Customer.
Code Snippet 4:

public class Customer {

// Declare instance variables
int customerID;
String customerName;
String customerAddress;
int customerAge;

/**
* Declares an instance method changeCustomerAddress is created to change
* the address of the customer object
*/
void changeCustomerAddress(String address) {
customerAddress = address;
}
/**
* Declares an instance method displayCustomerInformation is created to
* display the details of the customer object
*/
void displayCustomerInformation() {
System.out.println(Customer Identification Number: + customerID);
System.out.println(Customer Name: + customerName);
System.out.println(Customer Address: + customerAddress);
System.out.println(Customer Age: + customerAge);
}
}
Concepts

The class Customer is modified with the instance methods namely, changeCustomerAddress() and
displayCustomerInformation(). The changeCustomerAddress() method will accept a string
value through parameter address. It then assigns the value of address variable to the customerAddress
field. As methods are part of class declaration, they can access the other class members, such as instance
variables and methods of the class.

184 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Similarly, the method displayCustomerInformation() displays the details of the customer

object.
Note, that when the Customer class is complied, the compiler puts it in a Customer.class file. This
class cannot be executed as there is no main() method present in it.

6.4.3 Invoking Methods

You can access a method of a class by creating an object of the class. To invoke a method, the object
name is followed by the dot operator (.) and the method name.
In Java, a method is always invoked from another method. The method which invokes a method is referred
to as the calling method. The invoked method is referred to as the called method. After execution of
all the statements within the code block of the invoked method, the control returns back to the calling
method.
Most of the methods are invoked from the main() method of the class, which is the entry point of the
program execution.
Code Snippet 5 demonstrates a class with main() method which creates the instance of the class
Customer and invokes the methods defined in the class.
Code Snippet 5:

public class TestCustomer {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
* The main() method creates the instance of class Customer
* and invoke its methods
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Creates an object of the class
Customer objCustomer = new Customer();

// Initialize the object

objCustomer.customerID = 100;
objCustomer.customerName = Jack;
Concepts

objCustomer.customerAddress = 123 Street;

objCustomer.customerAge = 30;

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 185 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

/*
* Invokes the instance method to display the details
* of objCustomer object
*/
objCustomer.displayCustomerInformation();
/*
* Invokes the instance method to
* change the address of the objCustomer object
*/
objCustomer.changeCustomerAddress(123 Fort, Main Street);
/*
* Invokes the instance method after changing the address field
* of objCustomer object
*/
objCustomer.displayCustomerInformation();
}
}

The code instantiates an object objCustomer of type Customer class and initializes its instance
variables. The method displayCustomerInformation() is invoked using the object objCustomer.
This method displays the values of the initialized instance variables on the console.
Then, the method changeCustomerAddress(123 Fort, Main Street) is invoked to change
the data of the customerAddress field. Finally, the method displayCustomerInformation() is
invoked again to display the details of the objCustomer object.
Concepts

186 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

The output of the code is shown in figure 6.10.

Figure 6.10: Output Invocation of Instance Methods

6.5 Constructor
A class can contain multiple variables whose declaration and initialization becomes difficult to track if
they are done within different blocks. Likewise, there may be other startup operations that need to be
performed in an application like opening a file and so forth. Java programming language allows objects to
initialize themselves immediately upon their creation. This behavior is achieved by defining constructors
in the class.
A constructor is a method having the same name as that of the class. Constructors initialize the variables
of a class or perform startup operations only once when the object of the class is instantiated. They are
automatically executed whenever an instance of a class is created, before the new operator completes.
Also, constructor methods do not have return types, but accepts parameters.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 187 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Figure 6.11 shows the constructor declaration.

Figure 6.11: Constructor Declaration

Note - Constructors have no return type. This is because the implicit return type of a constructor is the
class itself. It is also possible to have overloaded constructors in Java.
The syntax for declaring constructor in a class is as follows:
Syntax:
<classname>() {

// Initialization code
}
Code Snippet 6 demonstrates a class Rectangle with a constructor.
Code Snippet 6:

public class Rectangle {

int width;
int height;
/**
* Constructor for Rectangle class
*/
Rectangle() {
Concepts

width = 10;
height = 10;
}
}

188 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

The code declares a method named Rectangle() which is a constructor. This method is invoked by
JVM to initialize the two instance variables, width and height, when the object of type Rectangle
is constructed. Also, the constructor does not have any parameters; hence, it is called as no-argument
constructor.

6.5.1 Invoking Constructor

The constructor is invoked immediately during the object creation. This means that once the new operator
is encountered, memory is allocated for the object. The constructor method, if provided in the class is
invoked by the JVM to initialize the object.
Figure 6.12 shows the use of new operator to understand the constructor invocation.

Figure 6.12: Invocation of Constructor

As shown in figure 6.12, the parenthesis after the class name indicates the invocation of the
constructor.
Code Snippet 7 demonstrates the code to invoke the constructor for the class Rectangle.
Code Snippet 7:

public class TestConstructor {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Instantiates an object of the Rectangle class
Rectangle objRec = new Rectangle();

// Accesses the instance variables using the object reference

System.out.println(Width: + objRec.width);
System.out.println(Height: + objRec.height);
Concepts

}
}

The code creates an object, objRec of type Rectangle. First, the memory allocation for the Rectangle
object is done and then the constructor is invoked. The constructor initializes the instance variables of
the newly created object, that is, width and height to 10.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 189 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

The output of the code is shown in figure 6.13.

Figure 6.13: Output Invocation of Constructor

6.5.2 Default Constructor

Consider a situation, where the constructor method is not defined for a class. In such a scenario, an
implicit constructor is invoked by the JVM for initializing the objects. This implicit constructor is also
known as default constructor and is created for the classes where explicit constructors are not defined.
In other words, a default no-argument constructor is provided by the compiler for any class that does
not have an explicit constructor. The default constructor initializes the instance variables of the newly
created object to their default values.
Code Snippet 8 demonstrates a class Employee for which no constructor has been defined.
Code Snippet 8:

public class Employee {

// Declares instance variables

String employeeName;
int employeeAge;
double employeeSalary;
boolean maritalStatus;

/**
* Accesses the instance variables and displays
Concepts

* their values using the println() method

*/
void displayEmployeeDetails() {

190 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

System.out.println(Employee Details);
System.out.println(================);
System.out.println(Employee Name: + employeeName);
System.out.println(Employee Age: + employeeAge);
System.out.println(Employee Salary: + employeeSalary);
System.out.println(Employee MaritalStatus: + maritalStatus);
}
}

The code declares a class Employee with instance variables and an instance method
displayEmployeeDetails(). The method prints the value of the instance variables on the console.
Code Snippet 9 demonstrates a class containing the main() method. This class creates an instance of the
class Employee and invokes the methods of the Employee class.
Code Snippet 9:

public class TestEmployee {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Instantiates an Employee object and initializes it
Employee objEmp = new Employee();

// Invokes the displayEmployeeDetails() method

objEmp.displayEmployeeDetails();
}
}

As the Employee class does not have any constructor defined for itself, a default constructor is created
for the class at runtime.
When the statement new Employee() is executed, the object is allocated in memory and the
Concepts

instance variables are initialized to their default values by the constructor. Then, the method
displayEmployeeDetails() is executed which displays the values of the instance variables referenced
by the object, objEmp.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 191 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Table 6.1 lists the default values assigned to instance variables of the class depending on their data
types.

Data Type Default Value

byte 0
short 0
int 0
long 0L
float 0.0f
double 0.0
char \u0000
boolean False
String (any object) Null

Table 6.1: Default Values for Instance Variables

The output of the code is shown in figure 6.14.

Figure 6.14: Output Default Constructor

However, if an explicit constructor is defined for the class by the developer, then the default constructor
is not provided by the compiler for the class.

6.5.3 Parameterized Constructor

In the previous section, Code Snippet 5 defined the constructor for the class Rectangle. The constructor
assigned the value 10 to the instance variables, width and height. This means all objects instantiated
from the class Rectangle will be initialized with the same values. This may not be useful in many
Concepts

situations.
The parameterized constructor contains a list of parameters that initializes instance variables of an
object. The value for the parameters is passed during the object creation. This means each object will be
initialized with different set of values.

192 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Code Snippet 10 demonstrates a code that declares parameterized constructor for the Rectangle
class.
Code Snippet 10:

public class Rectangle {

int width;
int height;

/**
* A default constructor for Rectangle class
*/
Rectangle() {
System.out.println(Constructor Invoked...);
width = 10;
height = 10;
}
/**
* A parameterized constructor with two parameters
* @param wid will store the width of the rectangle
* @param heig will store the height of the rectangle
*/
Rectangle (int wid, int heig) {
System.out.println(Parameterized Constructor);
width = wid;
height = heig;
}
/**
Concepts

* This method displays the dimensions of the Rectangle object

*/
void displayDimensions(){
System.out.println(Width: + width);

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 193 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

System.out.println(Width: + height);
}
}

The code declares a parameterized constructor, Rectangle(int wid, int heig). During execution,
the constructor will accept the values in two parameters and assigns them to width and height variable
respectively.
Code Snippet 11 demonstrates the code with main() method. This class creates objects of type Rectangle
and initializes them with parameterized constructor.
Code Snippet 11:

public class RectangleInstances {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Declare and initialize two objects for Rectangle class
Rectangle objRec1 = new Rectangle(10, 20);
Rectangle objRec2 = new Rectangle(6, 9);

// Invokes displayDimensions() method to display values

System.out.println(\nRectangle1 Details);
System.out.println(===================);
objRec1.displayDimensions();
System.out.println(\nRectangle2 Details);
System.out.println(===================);
objRec2.displayDimensions();
}
}

The code creates two objects which invokes the parameterized constructor. For example, the statement
Concepts

Rectangle objRect1 = new Rectangle(10, 20); instantiates an object.

194 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

During instantiation, the following things happen in a sequence:

1. Memory allocation is done for the new instance of the class.
2. Values 10 and 20 are passed to the parameterized constructor, Rectangle(int wid, int heig)
which initializes the objects instance variables width and height.
3. Finally, the reference of the newly created instance is returned and stored in the object, objRec1.
The output of the code is shown in figure 6.15.

Figure 6.15: Output Parameterized Constructor

Figure 6.16 displays both the instance of the class Rectangle. Each object contains its own copy of
instance variables that are initialized through constructor.

Concepts

Figure 6.16: Instances of Rectangle Object

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 195 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

6.6 Memory Management in Java

The memory comprises two components namely, stack and heap. The stack is an area in the memory
which stores object references and method information which includes: parameters of a method and
its local variables. The heap area of memory deals with dynamic memory allocations. This means, Java
objects are allocated physical memory space on the heap at runtime. The memory allocation is done
whenever JVM executes the new operator.
The heap memory grows as and when the physical allocation is done for objects. Hence, JVM provides a
garbage collection routine which frees the memory by destroying objects that are no longer required in
Java program. This way the memory in the heap is re-used for objects allocation.
Figure 6.17 shows the memory allocation for objects in stack and heap for Rectangle object.
Concepts

Figure 6.17: Memory Allocation for Method Variables and Objects

196 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

6.6.1 Assigning Object References

When working with primitive data types, the value of one variable can be assigned to another variable
using the assignment operator.
For example, int a = 10;
int b = a;
The statement b = a; copies the value from variable a and stores it in the variable b.
Figure 6.18 shows assigning of a value from one variable to another.

Figure 6.18: Copying of Value in Primitive Data Types

Consider the statement Rectangle objRect1. The objRect1 is referred to as object reference variable
as it stores the reference of an object. As values between primitive data types can be copied, similarly
the value stored in an object reference variable can be copied into another reference variable. As Java is
a strongly-typed language, both the reference variables must be of same type. In other words, both the
references must belong to the same class.
Code Snippet 12 demonstrates assigning the reference of one object into another object reference
variable.
Code Snippet 12:

public class TestObjectReferences {

/**
Concepts

* @param args the command line arguments

*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
/* Instantiates an object of type Rectangle and stores

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 197 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

* its reference in the object reference variable, objRec1

*/
Rectangle objRec1 = new Rectangle(10, 20);

// Declares a reference variable of type Rectangle

Rectangle objRec2;

// Assigns the value of objRec1 to objRec2

objRec2 = objRec1;

System.out.println(\nRectangle1 Details);
System.out.println(===================);

/* Invokes the method that displays values of the

* instance variables for object, objRec1
*/
objRec1.displayDimensions();

System.out.println(\nRectangle2 Details);
System.out.println(===================);
objRec2.displayDimensions();
}
}

The code creates two object reference variables, objRec1 and objRec2. The objRec1 points to the
object that has been allocated memory and initialized to 10 and 20, whereas objRec2 does not point
to any object. For the statement, objRec2 = objRec1; reference stored in the objRec1 is copied
into objRec2, that is, the address in objRec1 is coped into objRec2. Thus, the references are copied
between the variables created on the stack without affecting the actual objects created on the heap.
Concepts

198 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Figure 6.19 shows the assigning of reference for the statement, objRec2 = objRec1;.

Figure 6.19: Copying of Reference on Stack

6.7 Encapsulation
Consider a scenario in which you want to learn how to drive a car. As a learner, it is not necessary for you
to understand the details on how the engine works, how the petrol tank is built, how wheel implements
right-turn or left-turn functionality, and so on. As a driver, you are interested and concerned with how to
start and switch off the engine and how to provide fuel to the car. Also, you may be interested in knowing
how to use gears and apply brakes to accomplish the complete understanding of the car. Thus, to drive a
car, you are interested in the interface of the car, rather than how each part functions.
Similarly, in object-oriented programming, the concept of hiding implementation details of an object is
Concepts

achieved by applying the concept of encapsulation.

Encapsulation is a mechanism which binds code and data together in a class. To understand this, consider
a medicine capsule. Normally, the outer cover of a capsule is a combination of different colors which
indicates that it is a combination of one or more medicines. Thus, the capsule illustrates an example of
encapsulation as it hides the medicines under its cover.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 199 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Similarly, implementation details of what a class contains need not be visible to other classes and
objects that use it. Instead, only specific information can be made visible to the other components of the
application and the rest can be hidden. This is achieved through encapsulation, also called data hiding.
In other words, it can be said that in OOP languages, encapsulation covers the internal workings of a
Java object. The main purpose of data hiding within a class is to reduce the complexity in the software
development. By hiding the implementation details about what is required to implement the specific
operation in the class, the usage of operation becomes simple. In Java, the data hiding is achieved by
using access modifiers.
Data encapsulation hides the instance variables that represent the state of an object. Thus, the only
interaction or modification is performed through methods. For example, for modifying the accounts
holder name, the appropriate method such as changeHolderName()can be provided in the Account
class. This way the implementation of the class is hidden from the rest of the application.

6.7.1 Access Modifiers

Access modifiers determine how members of a class, such as instance variable and methods are accessible
from outside the class. In other words, they define the visibility of the members. They are used as prefix
while declaring the members of a class. The scope or visibility of the members is also closely related to
the packages.
Java provides four types of access modifiers that are as follows:

public: The public access modifier provides the most permissive access level. The members
declared as public can be accessed from anywhere in the class as well as from other classes.

private: The private access modifier provides the least permissive access level. Private members
are accessible only from within the class in which they are declared.

protected: The protected access modifier allows the class members to be accessible from within
the class as well as from within the derived classes. The derived classes are sub class created while
implementing inheritance.

package (default): The package access modifier allows only the public members of a class to be
accessible to all the classes present within the same package. This is the default access level for all
the members of the class. If the modifier is not specified with any member declared in the class,
then it is treated with the package access level.
As a general rule in Java, the details and implementation of a class is hidden from the other classes
Concepts

or external objects in the application. This is done by making instance variables as private and
instance methods as public.

200 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Code Snippet 13 demonstrates the use of the concept of encapsulation in the class Rectangle.
Code Snippet 13:

public class Rectangle {

// Declares instance variables
private int width;
private int height;
/**
* Declares a no-argument constructor
*/
public Rectangle() {
System.out.println(Constructor Invoked...);
width = 10;
height = 10;
}

/**
* Declares a parameterized constructor with two parameters
* @param wid
* @param heig
*/
public Rectangle (int wid, int heig) {
System.out.println(Parameterized Constructor Invoked...);
width = wid;
height = heig;
}

/**
Concepts

* Displays the dimensions of the Rectangle object

*/
public void displayDimensions(){

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 201 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

System.out.println(Width: + width);
System.out.println(Width: + height);
}
}

The code changes the access specifier of the instance variables or fields, width and height of the
Rectangle class from default to private. This means that the class fields are not directly accessible
from outside the class. This is done to restrict the access to the data members of the class. Similarly, the
access modifiers for the methods are changed to public. Thus, the users can access the class members
through its methods without impacting the internal implementation of the class.

6.8 Object Initializers

Object initializers in Java provide a way to create an object and initialize its fields. In a normal approach,
you invoke a constructor to initialize objects, but using object initializers you can complement the use of
constructors.
There are two approaches to initialize the fields or instance variables of the newly created objects.
Using instance variable initializers
Using initialization block

Instance Variable Initializers

In this approach, you specify the names of the fields and/or properties to be initialized, and give an
initial value to each of them.
Code Snippet 14 demonstrates a Java program that declares a class, Person and initializes its
fields.
Code Snippet 14:

public class Person {

private String name = John;
private int age = 12;
/**
* Displays the details of Person object
*/
Concepts

void displayDetails() {
System.out.println(Person Details);
System.out.println(==============);
System.out.println(Person Name: + name);

202 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

System.out.println(Person Age: + age);

}
}

In the code, the instance variables name and age are initialized to values John and 12 respectively.
Initializing the variables within the class declaration does not require them to initialize in a constructor.
Code Snippet 15 shows the class with main() method that creates objects of type Person.
Code Snippet 15:

public class TestPerson {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
Person objPerson1 = new Person();
objPerson1.displayDetails();
}
}

The code creates an object of type Person and invokes the method to display the details.
The output of the code is shown in figure 6.20.

Figure 6.20: Output Instance Variable Initializers

Initialization Block
In this approach, an initialization block is specified within the class. The initialization block is
Concepts

executed before the execution of constructors during an object initialization.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 203 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Code Snippet 16 demonstrates the class Account with an initialization block.

Code Snippet 16:

public class Account {

private int accountID;
private String holderName;
private String accountType;

/**
* Initialization block
*/
{
accountID = 100;
holderName = John Anderson;
accountType = Savings;
}

/**
* Displays the details of Account object
*/
public void displayAccountDetails() {
System.out.println(Account Details);
System.out.println(===============);
System.out.println(Account ID: + accountID + \nAccount Type: +
accountType);
}
}

In the code, the initialization blocks initializes the instance variables or fields of the class. The
initialization blocks are basically used to perform complex initialization sequences.
Concepts

204 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Code Snippet 17 shows the code with main() method to initialize the Account object through
initialization block.
Code Snippet 17 :

public class TestInitializationBlock {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
Account objAccount = new Account();
objAccount.displayAccountDetails();
}
}

The output of the code is shown in figure 6.21.

Figure 6.21: Output - Initialization Block

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 205 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

6.9 Check Your Progress

1. Which of the following statements stating the characteristics of classes are true?

a. Class names cannot be a keyword in Java

b. Class names can be in mixed case

c. Declaration of the class need not be preceded with the keyword class

d. Class names can begin with a digit

(A) a and c (C) a and b

(B) c and d (D) All of the above

2. Which of the following method have the same name as class name?

(A) Main (C) Instance Method

(B) Constructor (D) Destructor

3. You want to declare a class Student containing an instance variable rollNo. Further, you want to
create two instances of this class namely, objJohn and objMartin and assign values to their
respective instance variables and display them. Arrange the steps in sequence.

objJohn.rollNo = 1151;
a.
Student objMartin = new Student();
public static void main(String[] args) {
b.
Student objJohn = new Student();
System.out.println(objMartin.rollNo);
c.
}}
objMartin.rollNo = 1152;
d.
System.out.println(objJohn.rollNo);
Concepts

class Student {
e.
int rollNo;

206 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

(A) e, b, a, d, c (C) b, e, d, a, c

(B) c, a, b, e, d (D) d, c, e, a, b

4. In Java, ________ provides a way to create an object and initialize its fields, before the constructor
methods are invoked.

(A) Instance variables (C) Instance Methods

(B) Class Initializers (D) Object Initializers

5. Which of the following option specifies a feature of OOP language that hides the instance variables
within the class?

(A) Abstraction (C) Data Encapsulation

(B) Inheritance (D) Polymorphism

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 207 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

6.9.1 Answers
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. C
Concepts

208 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 6
Session Classes and Objects

Summary
The class is a logical construct that defines the shape and nature of an object.
Objects are the actual instances of the class and are created using the new operator. The new operator
instructs JVM to allocate the memory for the object.
The members of a class are fields and methods. Fields define the state and are referred to as instance
variables, whereas methods are used to implement the behavior of the objects and are referred to as
instance methods.
Each instance created from the class will have its own copy of the instance variables, whereas methods
are common for all instances of the class.
Constructors are methods that are used to initialize the fields or perform startup operations only once
when the object of the class is instantiated.
The heap area of memory deals with the dynamic memory allocations for objects, whereas the stack area
holds the object references.
Data encapsulation hides the instance variables that represents the state of an object through access
modifiers. The only interaction or modification on objects is performed through the methods.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 209 of 456

 6
Session Classes and Objects

1.
Try it Yourself
1. Consider a situation where you have been asked to develop a paint application. The paint application
should be able to draw the different types of shapes, such as circle, square, parallelogram, rectangle,
and so on. Each of these shapes is a collection of many points. Thus, you decide to create a Point
class in the application. The features to be implemented in the Point class are as follows:

a. As a point is formed with two co-ordinates on the plane, include x and y as the fields in the
Point class.

b. Implement the methods, such as setX(), setY(), and displayPoints() in the Point
class to represent the behavior of the Point class.

c. Implement necessary constructors to initialize the objects of the Point class during their
creation.

d. Create two objects of Point type and compare their x and y co-ordinates. If co-ordinates
have same values, then display Points are Same, otherwise, display Points are
Different.

2. What will be the output when you compile and run the following code:
public class MyClass {
public static void main(String arguments[]) {
someMethod(arguments);
}
public void someMethod(String[] parameters) {
System.out.println(parameters);
}
}
Concepts

210 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 Session - 7
Methods and Access Specifiers
Welcome to the Session, Methods and Access Specifiers.

This session explains the creation and invocation of methods, passing

and returning values to and from methods, and also the use of Javadoc
to lookup methods. Further, this session explains the concept of access
specifiers for restricting access to the class members. The session also
describes the concept of method and constructor overloading. Lastly, the
session explains the use of this keyword in a program.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Describe methods

Explain the process of creation and invocation of methods

Explain passing and returning values from methods

Explain variable argument methods

Describe the use of Javadoc to lookup methods

Describe access specifiers and the types of access

specifiers

Explain the use of access specifiers with methods

Explain the concept of method overloading

Explain the use of this keyword

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

7.1 Introduction
Consider a situation where in a user wants to perform some mathematical operations on two numbers.
The numbers may be integers or floating-point numbers. One way to do this would be to declare several
different variables in the class and write as many expressions as the number and type of mathematical
operations required. In this case, all the operations will be performed at a time on the numbers during
program execution.
However, what if the user wants only a single operation to be executed at a time? In such a case, it is
necessary to have a feature that allows execution of only the required expressions and not the entire
program. Methods in Java are such a feature that allows grouping of statements and execution of a
specific set of statements instead of executing the entire program. Again, what if the user wants to
restrict access to certain methods? Java provides a set of access specifiers that can help the user to
accomplish this task.

7.2 Methods
A Java method can be defined as a set of statements grouped together for performing a specific task. For
example, a call to the main() method which is the point of entry of any Java program, will execute all
the statements written within the scope of the main() method. The syntax for declaring a method is as
follows:
Syntax:
modifier return_type method_name([list_of_parameters]) {
// Body of the method
}
where,
modifier: Specifies the visibility of the method. Visibility indicates which object can access the
method. The values can be public, private, or protected.
return_type: Specifies the data type of the value returned by the method.
method_name: Specifies the name of the method.
list_of_parameters: Specifies the comma-delimited list of values passed to the method.
Generally, a method declaration has the following six components, in order:
1. Modifiers such as public, private, and protected.
Concepts

2. A return type that indicates the data type of the value returned by the method. The return type is
set to void if the method does not return a value.

212 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

3. The method name that is specified based on certain rules. A method name:
cannot be a Java keyword
cannot have spaces
cannot begin with a digit
cannot begin with any symbol other than a $ or _
can be a verb in lowercase
can be a multi-word name that begins with a verb in lowercase, followed by adjectives or
nouns
can be a multi-word name with the first letter of the second word and each of the following
words capitalized
should be descriptive and meaningful
Some valid method names are add, _view, $calc, add_num, setFirstName, compareTo,
isValid, and so on.
4. The parameter list in parenthesis is separated with a comma delimiter. Each parameter is preceded
by its data type. If there are no parameters, an empty parenthesis is used.
5. An exception list that specifies the names of exceptions that can be thrown by the method. An
exception is an event encountered during the execution of the program, disrupting the flow of
program execution.
6. The method body which consists of a set of statements enclosed between curly braces {}. The
method body can have variables, method calls, and even classes.
The two components of a method declaration namely, the method name and the parameter types
comprise the method signature.

7.2.1 Creating and Invoking Methods

As discussed earlier, methods help to segregate different tasks to provide modularity to the program. A
program is modular when different tasks in a program are grouped together into modules or sections.
For example, to perform different types of mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and so on, a user can create individual methods as shown in figure 7.1.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 213 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Figure 7.1: Methods and Object

Figure 7.1 shows an object named obj accessing four different methods namely, add(a,b), sub(a,b),
mul(a,b), and div(a,b) for performing the respective operations on two numbers. Thus, creating
methods gives flexibility to the program so that an object can perform operations as required without
having to execute the entire program.
To create a method that adds two numbers, the user can write a method as depicted in Code Snippet 1.
Code Snippet 1:

public void add(int num1, int num2){

int num3; // Declare a variable
num3 = num1 + num2; // Perform the addition of numbers
System.out.println(Addition is + num3); // Print the result
}

Code Snippet 1 defines a method named add() that accepts two parameters num1 and num2, each of
type integer. Also, the method has been declared with the public access specifier which means that it
can be accessed by all objects. The return type set to void indicates that the method does not return
anything.
The method body consists of three statements. The first statement int num3; is a declaration of
an integer variable named num3. The second statement num3 = num1 + num2; is an addition
Concepts

operation performed on parameters num1 and num2 using the arithmetic operator +. The result is
stored in a third variable num3 by using the assignment operator =. The last statement System.out.
println(Addition is + num3); is used to print the value of variable num3. The method signature
is add(int, int).
While creating a method, a user defines the structure and function of the method. In other words, a
developer specifies what the method will perform.

214 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

However, to use the method, it must be called or invoked. When a program calls a method, the control is
transferred to the called method. The called method executes and returns control to the caller. The call is
returned back after the return statement of a method is executed or when the closing brace is reached.
A method can be invoked in one of the following ways:

If the method returns a value, then, a call to the method results in return of some value from the
method to the caller. For example,
int result = obj.add(20, 30);
Assuming that the add() method returns an integer value, the method call is placed to the right
of the assignment operator. The returned value will be stored in a variable named result placed
on the left of the assignment operator. The return type of a method specifies the type of value that
the method returns. Thus, the data type of the variable result must be same as the return type
of the method add().

If the methods return type is set to void, then, a call to the method results in execution of the
statements within the method without returning any value to the caller. For example, the add()
method in Code Snippet 1 returns void and prints the output using the statement
System.out.println(Addition is + num3);
Hence, a call to the method would be obj.add(23,30) without anything returned to the caller.
In such cases, a call to the method will be a statement.
Consider the project Session7 created in the NetBeans IDE as shown in figure 7.2.

Concepts

Figure 7.2: Project - Session 7

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 215 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

The project consists of a package named session7 with the Calculator class that has the main()
method. Several methods for mathematical operations can be added to the class.
Code Snippet 2 demonstrates an example of creation and invocation of methods.
Code Snippet 2:

package session7;
public class Calculator {

// Method to add two integers

public void add(int num1, int num2) {

int num3;
num3 = num1 + num2;
System.out.println(Result after addition is + num3);
}

// Method to subtract two integers

public void sub(int num1, int num2) {

int num3;
num3 = num1 - num2;
System.out.println(Result after subtraction is + num3);
}

// Method to multiply two integers

public void mul(int num1, int num2) {

int num3;
Concepts

num3 = num1 * num2;

System.out.println(Result after multiplication is + num3);
}

216 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

// Method to divide two integers

public void div(int num1, int num2) {

int num3;
num3 = num1 / num2;
System.out.println(Result after division is + num3);
}
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

// Instantiate the Calculator class

Calculator objCalc = new Calculator();

// Invoke the methods with appropriate arguments

objCalc.add(3, 4);
objCalc.mul(3, 4);
}
}

The class Calculator consists of methods such as add(), sub(), mul(), and div() that are used
to perform the respective operations. Each method accepts two integers as parameters. The main()
method creates an object, objCalc of class Calculator. The object objCalc uses the dot . operator
to call or invoke the add() and mul() methods. When the program is executed in NetBeans IDE, first the
main() method is executed by the JVM. The runtime creates the object objCalc of class Calculator.
Next, the add() method is invoked with two values 3 and 4. The add() method is processed and the
print statement displays the result. Lastly, the mul() method is invoked with two parameters and prints
the result.

Note - The statement package session7; indicates that the class belongs to a package named
session7. A package is a folder used to group related classes. Also, the text within /** */ symbols
are the default javadoc comments generated by the runtime to describe the code.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 217 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Figure 7.3 shows the output of the program.

Figure 7.3: Output of Calculator Program

Figure 7.3 shows the output of methods add() and mul() that were invoked by the object objCalc of
Calculator class.

Note - All the methods defined in class Calculator are instance methods. Instance methods are
those methods that are invoked using an object of the class. Also, all the methods are public which
means that they are accessible to all objects across packages.

7.2.2 Passing and Returning Values from Methods

Parameters are the list of variables specified in a method declaration, whereas arguments are the actual
values that are passed to the method when it is invoked. When a method is invoked, the type and order
of arguments that are passed must match the type and order of parameters declared in the method.
A method can accept value of any data type as a parameter. A method can accept primitive data types
such as int, float, double, and so on as well as reference data types such as arrays and objects as a
parameter. In other words, arguments can be passed by value or by reference as follows:

Passing Arguments by Value

When arguments are passed by value it is known as call-by-value and it means that:
A copy of the argument is passed from the calling method to the called method.
Changes made to the argument passed in the called method will not modify the value in the
calling method.
Variables of primitive data types such as int and float are passed by value.
Concepts

218 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Code Snippet 3 demonstrates an example of passing arguments by value.

Code Snippet 3:

package session7;
public class PassByValue {

// method accepting the argument by value

public void setVal(int num1) {

num1 = num1 + 10;

}
public static void main(String[] args) {

// Declare and initialize a local variable

int num1 = 10;

// Instantiate the PassByValue class

PassByValue obj = new PassByValue();

// Invoke the setVal() method with num1 as parameter

obj.setVal(num1);

// Print num1 to check its value

System.out.println(Value of num1 after invoking setVal is +
num1);
}
}

Figure 7.4 shows the output of the code.

Figure 7.4: Output After Passing Arguments by Value

The class PassByValue consists of one method setVal() that accepts an integer value as parameter.
The main() method declares an integer variable named num1 and initializes it to 10.
Next, an object of PassByValue class is created to invoke the setVal() method with num1 as argument.
The setVal() method increments the value of num1 by 10. After processing the value, main() method
Concepts

prints the value of num1 to verify if it has changed. However, the output shows that the value of num1 is
still 10 even after invoking setVal() method where the value had been incremented.
This is because, num1 was passed by value. That is, only a copy of the value of num1 was passed to
setVal() method and not the actual address of num1 in memory. So that, the value of num1 remains
unchanged even after invoking the method setVal().

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 219 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Passing Arguments by Reference

When arguments are passed by reference it means that:
The actual memory location of the argument is passed to the called method and the object
or a copy of the object is not passed.
The called method can change the value of the argument passed to it.
Variables of reference types such as objects are passed to the methods by reference.
There are two references of the same object namely, argument reference variable and
parameter reference variable.
Code Snippet 4 demonstrates an example of passing arguments by reference.
Code Snippet 4:

package session7;
class Circle{

// Method to retrieve value of PI

public double getPI(){

return 3.14;
}
}

// Define another class PassByRef

public class PassByRef{

// Method to calculate area of a circle that

// takes the object of class Circle as a parameter

public void calcArea(Circle objPi, double rad){

// Use getPI() method to retrieve the value of PI

double area= objPi.getPI() * rad * rad;

// Print the value of area of circle

System.out.println(Area of the circle is + area);
}

public static void main(String[] args){

Concepts

// Instantiate the PassByRef class

PassByRef p1 = new PassByRef();

220 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

// Invoke the calcArea() method with object of class Circle as

// a parameter
p1.calcArea(new Circle(), 2);
}
}

Figure 7.5 shows the output of the code.

Figure 7.5: Output After Passing Arguments by Reference

The class Circle consists of a method named getPI()with return type set to double and the method
returns the value 3.14 to the calling method. Another class named PassByRef consists of a method
calcArea()that accepts the object objPi of class Circle and the radius as a parameter and calculates
the area of the circle. The value of PI is retrieved by invoking the method objPi.getPI() that returns
the value 3.14. Next, the method prints the value of area.
Within the main() method, the PassByRef class is instantiated and an object of class Circle is passed
as a parameter by the statement new Circle() and the value 2 is passed as the radius. When an
object is passed to a method, it is always passed as reference. In other words, a reference of the object
is created and passed. Thus, when this reference is passed, the method that receives it will refer to the
same object that is referred by the argument. After execution, the output shows the area of the circle as
12.56. Note that the value of PI is passed by reference and not by value.

Returning Values from Methods

A method will return a value to the invoking method only when all the statements in the invoking
method are complete, or when it encounters a return statement, or when an exception is thrown.
The return statement is written within the body of the method to return a value.
A void method will not have a return type specified in its method body. A compiler error is
generated when a void method returns a value.
The method getPI() in class Circle in Code Snippet 4 has the return type set to double. This means
that the method must return a value of type double to the calling method. The keyword return is used
for this purpose. The statement returns 3.14 as the value of PI to the calling method. Instead of using
Concepts

3.14, one can also store the value in a variable and specify the name of the variable with the return
keyword. For example, the class Circle and its getPI() method can be modified as shown in Code
Snippet 5.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 221 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Code Snippet 5:

public class Circle {

// Declare and initialize value of PI

private double PI = 3.14;

// Method to retrieve value of PI

public double getPI(){

return PI;
}
}

In the modified class Circle, the value 3.14 is stored in a private double variable PI. Later, the
method getPI() returns the value stored in the variable PI instead of the constant value 3.14.

Note - The variable PI is declared private to restrict direct access to it by any object. Instead the
getPI() method is used to access it. Therefore, the getPI() method becomes the accessor method
for PI. Similarly, one can create a mutator method such as setPI() to modify the value of PI.

7.2.3 Declaring Variable Argument Methods

Java provides a feature called varargs to pass variable number of arguments to a method. varargs
is used when the number of a particular type of argument that will be passed to a method is not known
until runtime. It serves as a shortcut to creating an array manually.
To use varargs, the type of the last parameter is followed by ellipsis (...), then, a space, followed by
the name of the parameter.
This method can be called with any number of values for that parameter, including none. The syntax of a
variable argument method is as follows:
Syntax:
<method_name>(type variableName){
// method body
}
where,
: Indicates the variable number of arguments.
Concepts

222 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Code Snippet 6 demonstrates an example of a variable argument method.

Code Snippet 6:

package session7;
public class Varargs {

// Variable argument method taking variable number of integer arguments

public void addNumber(int...num) {

int sum=0;

// Use for loop to iterate through num

for(int i:num) {

// Add up the values

sum = sum + i;
}

// Print the sum

System.out.println(Sum of numbers is + sum);
}

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Instantiate the Varargs class

Varargs obj = new Varargs();

// Invoke the addNumber() method with multiple arguments

obj.addNumber(10,30,20,40);
}
}

Figure 7.6 shows the output of the code.

Figure 7.6: Output After Using Variable Argument Method

Concepts

The class Varargs consists of a method called addNumber(intnum). The method accepts variable
number of arguments of type integer. The method uses the enhanced for loop to iterate through the
variable argument parameter num and adds each value with the variable sum. Finally, the method prints
the value of sum.
The main() method creates an object of the class and invokes the addNumber() method with multiple
arguments of type integer. The output displays 100 after adding up the numbers.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 223 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

7.2.4 Using Javadoc to Lookup Methods of a Class

Java provides a JDK tool named Javadoc that is used to generate API documentation as an HTML page
from declaration and documentation comments. These comments are descriptions of the code written
in a program. The different terminologies used while generating javadoc are as follows:

API documentation or API docs: These are the online or hard copy descriptions of the API that
are primarily intended for the programmers. The API specification consists of all assertions for a
proper implementation of the Java Platform to ensure that the write once, run anywhere feature
of Java is retained.

Documentation comments or doc comments: These are special comments in the Java source
code. They are written within the /** */ delimiters. These comments are processed by the
Javadoc tool for generating the API docs.
The four types of source files from which Javadoc tool can generate output are as follows:
Java source code files (.java) which consist of the field, class, constructor, method, and
interface comments.
Package comment files that consist of package comments.
Overview comment files that contain the comments about set of packages.
Miscellaneous files that are unprocessed such as images, class files, sample source codes,
HTML files, applets, and any other file that is referenced from the previous files.
A doc comment is written in HTML and it must precede a field, class, method, or constructor declaration.
The doc comment consists of two parts namely, a description and block tags. For example, consider the
class given in Code Snippet 7.
Code Snippet 7:

public class Circle {

private double PI=3.14;

public double calcArea(double rad){

return (3.14 * rad * rad);

}
}
Concepts

Code Snippet 7 consists of a class Circle, a variable PI, and a method calcArea() that accepts radius
as a parameter.

224 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Now, a doc comment for calcArea() method can be written as depicted in Code Snippet 8.
Code Snippet 8:

/**
* Returns the area of a circle
*
* @param rad a variable indicating radius of a circle
* @return the area of the circle
* @see PI
*/
Here, the first statement is the method description whereas @param, @return, and @see are block tags
that refer to the parameters and return value of the method. A blank comment line must be provided
between the description line and block tags. The HTML generated from running the Javadoc tool is as
follows:
calcArea
public double calcArea(double rad)
Returns the area of a circle
Parameters:
rad a variable storing the radius of the circle
Returns:
the area of a circle
See Also:
PI
To use Javadoc tool to lookup methods of a class, perform the following steps:
1. Open the Calculator class created earlier.
2. Open Javadoc widow by clicking Window Other Javadoc as shown in figure 7.7.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 225 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Figure 7.7: Opening Javadoc Window

Figure 7.8 shows the Javadoc window opened at the bottom.

Figure 7.8: Javadoc Window

The Javadoc window shows the description of the Calculator class. However, since javadoc for
the class is not generated still, it gives a message that Javadoc not found.
3. Select the println() method of System.out.println() statement of the add() method and
Concepts

then, open the Javadoc window.

226 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

The window will show the built-in Java documentation of the println() method as shown in
figure 7.9.

Figure 7.9: Javadoc of Println Method

Figure 7.9 shows the built-in javadoc of the println() method along with its description and
parameters as defined in the javadoc.
4. Select the add() method. Again, no details about add method will be displayed since javadoc does
not exist for it as shown in figure 7.10.

Figure 7.10: Javadoc of Add Method

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 227 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

5. Type the following javadoc comments above the add() method:

/**
* Displays the sum of two integers
*
* @param num1 an integer variable storing the value of first number
* @param num2 an integer variable storing the value of second number
* @return void
*/
6. Click Run Generate Javadoc. The NetBeans IDE generates the javadoc for the project Session7
and displays it in the browser as shown in figure 7.11.

Figure 7.11: Javadoc Generated for Project Session7

Concepts

The javadoc lists the various classes available in the selected package. To move to the next or
previous package, one can click the PrevPackage and NextPackage links on the page.
7. Click the Calculator class under the Class Summary tab.

228 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

The javadoc of the Calculator class is shown in figure 7.12.

Figure 7.12: Javadoc of Class Calculator

Similarly, javadoc for other classes can also be viewed. This shows the structure of the class, its
constructor, and its various methods.
8. Now, select the add() method in the NetBeans IDE and open the Javadoc window.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 229 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

The window will show the javadoc created for the add() method as shown in figure 7.13.

Figure 7.13: Javadoc for add() Method

Notice that the position of the description, the parameters, and the return type statements was
automatically adjusted by the Javadoc tool.
Thus, it can be specified that javadoc generates an HTML file containing information about each class. It
will output an index and a hierarchy tree. Similarly, Javadoc tool can be used to lookup for other built-in
methods as well as to generate javadoc for user-defined methods.

7.3 Access Specifiers

The fields, classes, and methods created in the application Session7 discussed earlier, used certain
keywords such as public and private. As stated earlier, these are access specifiers used to restrict
access to fields, methods, constructor, and classes of an application. That is, a class can control access
to data or information by other classes. Usually, access specifiers are used wherever possible in order to
ensure encapsulation and restricting access to class members.

7.3.1 Overview of Access Specifiers

Concepts

Java provides a number of access specifiers or modifiers to set the level of access for a class and its
members such as fields, methods, and constructors within the class. This is also known as the visibility
of the class, field, and methods. When no access specifier is mentioned for a class member, the default
accessibility is package or default.

230 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Using access specifiers provides the following advantages:

Access specifiers help to control the access of classes and class members.

Access specifiers help to prevent misuse of class details as well as hide the implementation details
that are not required by other classes.

The access specifiers also determine whether classes and the members of the classes can be
invoked by other classes or interfaces.

Accessibility affects inheritance and how members are inherited by the subclass.

A package is always accessible by default.

7.3.2 Types of Access Specifiers

Java comes with four access specifiers namely, public, private, protected, and default. The details
are as follows:

Public
The public access specifier is the least restrictive of all access specifiers. A field, method, or class
declared public is visible to any class in a Java application in the same package or in another
package.

Private
The private access specifier is the most restrictive of all access specifiers. The private access
specifier cannot be used for classes and interfaces as well as fields and methods of an interface.
Fields and methods declared private cannot be accessed from outside the enclosing class.
A standard convention is to declare all fields private and provide public accessor or getter
methods to access them. Thus, when data is important, sensitive, and cannot be shared with
others, it is declared as private.

Protected
The protected access specifier is used with classes that share a parent-child relationship which
is referred to as inheritance. The protected keyword cannot be used for classes and interfaces as
well as fields and methods of an interface. Fields and methods declared protected in a parent or
Concepts

super class can be accessed only by its child or subclass in another packages. However, classes in
the same package can also access protected fields and methods, even if they are not a subclass of
the protected members class.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 231 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Default
The default access specifier is used when no access specifier is present. The default specifier gets
applied to any class, field, or method for which no access specifier has been mentioned. With
default specifier, the class, field, or method is accessible only to the classes of the same package.
The default specifier is not used for fields and methods within an interface.
Figure 7.14 shows the various access specifiers.

Figure 7.14: Using Access Specifiers

Figure 7.14 shows class A with four data members having public, protected, default, and
private access specifiers. Class B is a child class of A and class C is another class belonging to the
same package, Pacakge1. From the figure it is clear that both classes B and C have access to the
public, protected, and default access members since they belong to the same package.
The package, Package2 consists of classes D and E. Class D can only access the public members
of class A. However, class E can access public as well as protected members of class A even
though it belongs to another package. This is because class E is a child class of A. However, none of
the classes B, C, D, or E can access the private members of class A.
Table 7.1 shows the access level for different access specifiers.

Access Specifier Class Package Subclass World

public Y Y Y Y
protected Y Y Y N
No modifier (default) Y Y N N
private Y N N N
Concepts

Table 7.1: Access Levels of Access Specifiers

The first column states whether the class itself has access to its own data members. As can be seen, a
class can always access its own members. The second column states whether classes within the same
package as the owner class (irrespective of their parentage) can access the member. As can be seen, all
members can be accessed except private members.

232 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

The third column states whether the subclasses of a class declared outside this package can access a
member. In such cases, public and protected members can be accessed. The fourth column states
whether all classes can access a data member.

7.3.3 Rules for Access Control

Java has rules and constraints for usage of access specifiers as follows:

While declaring members, a private access specifier cannot be used with abstract, but it can
be used with final or static.

No access specifier can be repeated twice in a single declaration.

A constructor when declared private will be accessible in the class where it was created.

A constructor when declared protected will be accessible within the class where it was created
and in the inheriting classes.

Private cannot be used with fields and methods of an interface.

The most restrictive access level must be used that is appropriate for a particular member.

Mostly, a private access specifier is used at all times unless there is a valid reason for not using
it.

Avoid using public for fields except for constants.

7.3.4 Using Access Specifiers with Variables and Methods

The access specifiers discussed earlier can be used with variables and methods of a class to restrict access
from other classes. Code Snippet 9 demonstrates an example of using access specifiers with variables
and methods.
Code Snippet 9:

package session7;
public class Employee {
Concepts

// Variables with default access

int empID; // Variable to store employee ID

String empName; // Variable to store employee name

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 233 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

// Variables with private and protected access

private String SSN; // Variable to store social security number

protected String empDesig; // Variable to store designation

/**
* Parameterized constructor
*
* @param ID an integer variable storing the employee ID
* @param name a String variable storing the employee name
* @return void
*/
public Employee(int ID, String name){

empID = ID;
empName = name;
}

// Define public methods

/**
* Returns the value of SSN
*
* @return String
*/
public String getSSN(){ // Accessor for SSN

return SSN;
}

/**
* Sets the value of SSN
*
* @param ssn a String variable storing the social security number
* @return void
*/
public void setSSN(String ssn) { // Mutator for SSN
SSN = ssn;
}

/**
Concepts

* Sets the value of Designation

*
* @param desig a String variable storing the employee designation
* @return void
*/

234 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

public void setDesignation(String desig) { // Public method

empDesig = desig;
}

/**
* Displays employee details
*
* @return void
*/
public void display(){ // Public method

System.out.println(Employee ID is + empID);
System.out.println(Employee name is + empName);
System.out.println(Designation is + empDesig);
System.out.println(SSN is + SSN);
}

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

// Instantiate the Employee class

Employee objEmp1 = new Employee(1200,Roger Stevens);

// Assign values to public variables

objEmp1.empDesig = Manager;
objEmp1.SSN = 281-72-3873;

// Invoke the public method

objEmp1.display();
}
}

Figure 7.15 shows the output of the code.

Concepts

Figure 7.15: Using Access Specifiers with Variables and Methods

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 235 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

In Code Snippet 9, the class Employee has been declared public. The class has two members with
default access specifier namely, empID and empName, a protected class member named empDesig,
and a private class member named SSN. The class has one parameterized constructor that is used to
set the values of member variables empID and empName. The class also has an accessor and a mutator
method for variable SSN and two other public methods.
The main() method creates an object of Employee class with values of empID and empName. Next, the
values of empDesig and SSN are specified by directly accessing the variables with the object objEmp1
even though empDesig is protected and SSN is private. This is because, objEmp1 is an object present
in the same class. So, objEmp1 has access to data members with any access specifier. The display()
method is used to display all the values as shown in the output.
Code Snippet 10 demonstrates the use of access specifiers in another class named EmployeeDetails
but in the same package as Employee class.
Code Snippet 10:

public class EmployeeDetails {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

// Instantiate the Employee class within EmployeeDetails class

Employee objEmp = new Employee(1300,Clara Smith);

// Assign value to protected variable

objEmp.empDesig=Receptionist;

// Use the mutator method to set the value of private variable

objEmp.setSSN(282-72-3873);

// Invoke the public method

objEmp.display();
}

Figure 7.16 shows the output of the code.

Concepts

Figure 7.16: Using Members of One Class in Another Class

236 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Within the main() method of EmployeeDetails class, an object of Employee is created to set the
values of empID and empName. Next, value of empDesig is specified by directly accessing the protected
variable empDesig. This is because, a protected variable can be accessed by another class of the same
package even if it is not a child class of Employee.
However, to set the value of SSN, the setSSN() method is used. This is because SSN is a private
member variable in Employee class and hence, cannot be directly accessed by other classes. Finally, the
display() method is used to print all the details as shown in the output.
Classes of other packages that are not child class of Employee can set the value of empID and empName
by using the constructor, of empDesig by using setDesignation() method, and of SSN by using
setSSN() method.

7.4 Method Overloading

Consider the class Calculator created earlier. The class has different methods for different operations.
However, all the methods add only integers. What if a user wants to add numbers of different types such
as two floating-point numbers or one integer and other floating-point number? One solution is to create
a method with different names such as addFloat() or addIntFloat() for this purpose. However, this
would be very tedious and unnecessary since the function of the two methods is still addition.
It would be more convenient to have a way to create different variations of the same add() method to
add different types of values. The Java programming language provides the feature of method overloading
to distinguish between methods with different method signatures. Using method overloading, multiple
methods of a class can have the same name but with different parameter lists.
Method overloading can be implemented in the following three ways:
1. Changing the number of parameters
2. Changing the sequence of parameters
3. Changing the type of parameters

7.4.1 Overloading with Different Parameter List

Methods can be overloaded by changing the number or sequence of parameters of a method. Figure
7.17 shows an example of overloaded add() methods.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 237 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Figure 7.17: Overloading Methods

Figure 7.17 shows seven add() methods each with a different signature. The add() methods 1 and
4 both accept integers as parameter. However, they are different in the number of arguments they
accept. Similarly, add() methods numbered 2 and 3 accept int and float as parameters. However, they
differ in the sequence in which they accept int and float. The figure also shows other variations of
add() methods.

7.4.2 Overloading with Different Data Types

Methods can be overloaded by changing the data type of parameters of a method. Figure 7.17 shows an
example of add() method overloaded by changing the type of parameters. Each of the add() methods
numbered 1, 2, 3, and 5 accepts two parameters. However, they differ in the type of parameters that they
accept.
Notice that the add()method numbered 6 is similar to the method numbered 5. Both the methods
accept first an integer argument and then, a float argument as a parameter. However, the parameter
Concepts

names are different. This is not sufficient to make a method overloaded. The methods must differ in
argument type and number and not simply in name of arguments.
Similarly, the add()method numbered 7 has a signature similar to the method numbered 1. Both the
method accepts two integers, a and b as parameters. However, the return type of method numbered 7
is int whereas that of method numbered 1 is void.

238 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Again, this does not make the method overloaded as it does not differ in argument type and number.
Thus, the add() methods numbered 6 and 7 are not overloaded methods and will lead to compilation
error. Changing only the names of parameters or return type of method does not make it overloaded.
Also, a method cannot be considered as overloaded if only the access specifiers are different.
Code Snippet 11 demonstrates an example of method overloading.
Code Snippet 11:

package session7;
public class MathClass {

/**
* Method to add two integers
*
* @param num1 an integer variable storing the value of first number
* @param num2 an integer variable storing the value of second number
* @return void
*/
public void add(int num1, int num2) {

System.out.println(Result after addition is + (num1+num2));

}

/**
* Overloaded method to add three integers
*
* @param num1 an integer variable storing the value of first number
* @param num2 an integer variable storing the value of second number
* @param num3 an integer variable storing the value of third number
* @return void
*/
public void add(int num1, int num2, int num3) {

System.out.println(Result after addition is + (num1+num2+num3));

}

/**
* Overloaded method to add a float and an integer
*
* @param num1 a float variable storing the value of first number
* @param num2 an integer variable storing the value of second number
Concepts

* @return void
*/
public void add(float num1, int num2) {

System.out.println(Result after addition is + (num1+num2));

}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 239 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

/**
* Overloaded method to add a float and an integer accepting the values
* in a different sequence
*
* @param num1 an integer variable storing the value of first number
* @param num2 a float variable storing the value of second number
* @return void
*/
public void add(int num1, float num2) {

System.out.println(Result after addition is + (num1+num2));

}

/**
* Overloaded method to add two floating-point numbers
*
* @param num1 a float variable storing the value of first number
* @param num2 a float variable storing the value of second number
* @return void
*/
public void add(float num1, float num2) {

System.out.println(Result after addition is + (num1+num2));

}

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Instantiate the MathClass class
MathClass objMath = new MathClass();

// Invoke the overloaded methods with relevant arguments

objMath.add(3.4F, 2);
objMath.add(4,5);
objMath.add(6,7,8);
}
}

Figure 7.18 shows the output of the code.

Concepts

Figure 7.18: Output of Overloaded Methods

240 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Figure 7.18 shows a class named MathClass consisting of overloaded add() methods. The main()
method creates an object of MathClass and invokes the add() methods with different types and
number of arguments. The compiler executes the appropriate add() method based on the type and
number of arguments passed by the user. The output displays the result of addition of the different
values.

7.4.3 Constructor Overloading

Constructor is a special method of a class that has the same name as the class name. A constructor is
used to initialize the variables of a class. Similar to a method, a constructor can also be overloaded to
initialize different types and number of parameters. When the class is instantiated, the compiler will
invoke the constructor based on the number, type, and sequence of arguments passed to it.
Code Snippet 12 demonstrates an example of constructor overloading.
Code Snippet 12:

package session7;
public class Student {

int rollNo; // Variable to store roll number

String name; // Variable to store student name
String address; // Variable to store address
float marks; // Variable to store marks

/**
* No-argument constructor
*
*/
public Student(){

rollNo = 0;
name = ;
address = ;
marks = 0;
}

/**
* Overloaded constructor
*
* @param rNo an integer variable storing the roll number
* @param name a String variable storing student name
Concepts

*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 241 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

public Student(int rNo, String sname) {

rollNo = rNo;
name = sname;
}

/**
* Overloaded constructor
*
* @param rNo an integer variable storing the roll number
* @param score a float variable storing the score
*/
public Student(int rNo, float score) {

rollNo = rNo;
marks = score;
}

/**
* Overloaded constructor
*
* @param sName a String variable storing student name
* @param addr a String variable storing the address
*/
public Student(String sName, String addr) {

name = sName;
address = addr;
}

/**
* Overloaded constructor
*
* @param rNo an integer variable storing the roll number
* @param sName a String variable storing student name
* @param score a float variable storing the score
*/
public Student(int rNo, String sname, float score) {

rollNo = rNo;
name = sname;
marks = score;
Concepts

242 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

/**
* Displays student details
*
* @return void
*/
public void displayDetails(){

System.out.println(Rollno :+ rollNo);
System.out.println(Student name:+ name);
System.out.println(Address + address);
System.out.println(Score + marks);
System.out.println(------------------------);
}

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

// Instantiate the Student class with two string arguments

Student objStud1 = new Student(David,302, Washington Street);

// Invoke the displayDetails() method

objStud1.displayDetails();

// Create other Student class objects and pass different

// parameters to the constructor

Student objStud2 = new Student(103, 46);

objStud2.displayDetails();

Student objStud3 = new Student(104, Roger, 50);

objStud3.displayDetails();
}
}

The class Student consists of member variables named rollNo, name, address, and marks.
Student() is the default or no-argument constructor of the Student class. The other constructors are
overloaded constructors created by changing the number and type of parameters. The main() method
creates three objects objStud1, objStud2, and objStud3 of Student class. Each object passes
different arguments to the constructor. Later, each object invokes the displayDetails() method to
print the student details.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 243 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Figure 7.19 shows the output of the program.

Figure 7.19 Output of Constructor Overloading

Figure 7.19 shows the output generated by displayDetails() method for objects objStud1,
objStud2, and objStud3 of Student class based on the constructor invoked by these objects. Notice
the values 0 and null for the variables for which no argument was specified. These are the default
values for integer and String data types in java.

7.4.4 Using this Keyword

Java provides the keyword this which can be used in an instance method or a constructor to refer
to the current object, that is, the object whose method or constructor is being called. Any member of
the current object can be referred from within an instance method or a constructor by using the this
keyword.
The keyword this is not explicitly used in instance methods while referring to variables and methods of
a class.
For example, consider the method calcArea() of Code Snippet 13.
Concepts

244 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Code Snippet 13:

public class Circle {

float area; // variable to store area of a circle

/**
* Returns the value of PI
*
* @return float
*/
public float getPI(){

return 3.14;

/**
* Calculates area of a circle
* @param rad an integer to store the radius
* @return void
*/
public void calcArea(int rad) {

this.area = getPI() * rad * rad;

}
}

The method calcArea() calculates the area of a circle and stores it in the variable, area. It retrieves
the value of PI by invoking the getPI() method. Here, the method call does not involve any object even
though getPI() is an instance method. This is because of the implicit use of this keyword.
For example, the method calcArea() can also be written as shown in Code Snippet 14.
Code Snippet 14:

public class Circle {

float area; // Variable to store area of a circle

/**
* Returns the value of PI
*
Concepts

* @return float
*/
public float getPI(){

return 3.14;
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 245 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

/**
* Calculates area of a circle
* @param rad an integer to store the radius
* @return void
*/
public void calcArea(int rad) {

this.area = this.getPI() * rad * rad;

}
}

Notice the use of this to indicate the current object.

The keyword this can also be used to invoke a constructor from within another constructor.
This is also known as explicit constructor invocation as shown in Code Snippet 15.
Code Snippet 15:

public class Circle {

private float rad; // Variable to store radius of a circle

private float PI; // Variable to store value of PI

/**
* No-argument constructor
*
*/
public Circle(){

PI = 3.14;
}

/**
* Overloaded constructor
*
* @param r a float variable to store the value of radius
*/
public Circle(float r) {

this(); // Invoke the no-argument constructor

rad = r;
}
Concepts

...
}

The keyword this can be used to resolve naming conflicts when the names of actual and formal
parameters of a method or a constructor are the same as depicted in Code Snippet 16.

246 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Code Snippet 16:

public class Circle {

// Variable to store radius of a circle

private float rad; // line 1
private float PI; // Variable to store value of PI

/**
* no-argument constructor
*
*/
public Circle(){

PI = 3.14;
}

/**
* overloaded constructor
*
* @param rad a float variable to store the value of radius
*/
public Circle(float rad) { // line2

this();
this.rad = rad; // line3
}
...
}

Code Snippet 16 defines the constructor Circle with the parameter rad in line2 which is the formal
parameter. Also, the parameter declared in line1 has the same name rad which is the actual parameter to
which the users value will be assigned at runtime. Now, while assigning a value to rad in the constructor,
the user would have to write rad = rad. However, this would confuse the compiler as to which rad is the
actual and which one is the formal parameter. To resolve this conflict, this.rad is written on the left of
the assignment operator to indicate that it is the actual parameter to which value must be assigned. Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 247 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

7.5 Check Your Progress

1. ________ are the list of variables specified in a method declaration.

(A) Arguments (C) Values

(B) Variables (D) Parameters

2. Which of the following statements about a method name are true?

Can be a multi-word name with the

a. Can be a Java keyword c. first letter of each of the second and
following words capitalized
Cannot begin with any symbol
b. d. Can have spaces
other than a $ or _

(A) b, d (C) b, c

(B) a, b (D) a, d

3. Match the following access specifiers with the corresponding descriptions with respect to variables
and methods of a class.

Access Specifier Description

Can be accessed by all classes in the same package and

a. Private 1.
only by subclasses in other packages.
Gets applied to any class, field, or method that has not
b. Public 2.
declared any access specifier.
Visible to any class in a Java application in the same
c. Default 3.
package or in another package.
d. Protected 4. Cannot be accessed from outside the enclosing class.

(A) a-3, b-2, c-1, d-4 (C) a-3, b-1, c-4, d-2
Concepts

(B) a-2, b-4, c-3, d-1 (D) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1

248 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

4. Which of the following options are parts of method signature?

a. Return type c. Access Specifier

b. Method Name d. Parameter Types

(A) a, d (C) b, c

(B) b, d (D) a, b

5. Consider the following code:

public class Vehicle {
int Vno;
String Vtype;

public Vehicle(int Vno, String Vtype){

Vno=Vno; // line1
Vtype=Vtype; // line2
}

The code is giving the warning Assignment to Itself. What change must be made in line1
and line2 to resolve the issue?
Vno=3764; this.Vno=Vno;
(A) (C)
Vtype=Car; this.Vtype=Vtype;
Vno=this.Vno; Vno=0;
(B) (D)
Vtype=this.Vtype; Vtype=;

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 249 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

6. Consider the following code:

public class Employee{

int EmpID;
String EmpName, Designation;

public Employee(){
EmpID=0;
EmpName=;
Designation=;
}

public Employee(int ID, String name){

EmpID=ID;
EmpName=name;
}

public Employee(int ID, String name, String desig){

EmpID=ID;
EmpName=name;
Designation=desig;
}
}

Which of the following programming concept has been used in the code?

(A) Method Overriding (C) Method Overloading

(B) Constructor Overloading (D) Operator Overloading

Concepts

250 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

7.5.1 Answers
1. D
2. C
3. D
4. B
5. C
6. B

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 251 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Summary
A Java method is a set of statements grouped together for performing a specific operation.
Parameters are the list of variables specified in a method declaration, whereas arguments are the
actual values that are passed to the method when it is invoked.
The variable argument feature is used in Java when the number of a particular type of arguments
that will be passed to a method is not known until runtime.
Java provides a JDK tool named Javadoc that is used to generate API documentation from
documentation comments.
Access specifiers are used to restrict access to fields, methods, constructor, and classes of an
application.
Java comes with four access specifiers namely, public, private, protected, and default.
Using method overloading, multiple methods of a class can have the same name but with different
parameter lists.
Java provides the this keyword which can be used in an instance method or a constructor to
refer to the current object, that is, the object whose method or constructor is being invoked.
Concepts

252 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

Try it Yourself
1. Phoenix Systems is a well known computer hardware store located in L.A., California. The manager
of the store wishes to develop a software through which he can store and view data about the
hardware devices that he sells. The manager has hired a programmer to develop the software. The
programmer has written the following class to store and view details about the devices.
public class DeviceDetails {

int deviceNo;
String deviceName,deviceType;
double devicePrice;

public DeviceDetails(){
deviceNo=0;
deviceName=;
deviceType=;
devicePrice=0.0;
}
public DeviceDetails(int deviceNo, String deviceType){
deviceNo=deviceNo;
deviceType=deviceType;
}
public void displayDetails(){
System.out.println(Device number is + deviceNo);
System.out.println(Device name is + deviceName);

System.out.println(Device type is + deviceType);
Concepts

System.out.println(Device price is + devicePrice);

}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 253 of 456

 7
Session Methods and Access Specifiers

public static void main(String[] args){

DeviceDetails objDevice = new DeviceDetails();
objDevice.displayDetails();
}
}

The program is giving compilation errors and not functioning as expected. Modify the program as
follows:
The user should be able to specify all details about a device at a time.
The user should be able to specify only deviceNo and devicePrice when needed.
The variables should not be accessible outside the class.
The program should display all details of a device properly even when some details are not
provided.
Generate javadoc for the class to view the details of methods of the class.
Concepts

254 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 Session - 8
Arrays and Strings
Welcome to the Session, Arrays and Strings.

This session explains the creation and use of arrays in Java. Further, this
session explains accessing values from an ArrayList using loops. The session
also describes command line arguments and the working of String and
StringBuilder classes. Lastly, the session describes Wrapper classes and
the concept of autoboxing and unboxing.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Describe an array

Explain declaration, initialization, and instantiation of a

single-dimensional array

Explain declaration, initialization, and instantiation of a

multi-dimensional array

Explain the use of loops to process an array

Describe ArrayList and accessing values from an ArrayList

Describe String and StringBuilder classes

Explain command line arguments

Describe Wrapper classes, autoboxing, and unboxing

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

8.1 Introduction
Consider a situation where in a user wants to store the marks of ten students. For this purpose, the user
can create ten different variables of type integer and store the marks in them. What if the user wants to
store marks of hundreds or thousands of students? In such a case, one would need to create as many
variables. This can be a very difficult, tedious, and time consuming task. Here, it is required to have a
feature that will enable storing of all the marks in one location and access it with similar variable names.
Array, in Java, is a feature that allows storing multiple values of similar type in the same variable.

8.2 Introduction to Arrays

An array is a special data store that can hold a fixed number of values of a single type in contiguous
memory locations. It is implemented as objects. The size of an array depends on the number of values it
can store and is specified when the array is created. After creation of an array, its size or length becomes
fixed. Figure 8.1 shows an array of numbers.

Figure 8.1: Array

Figure 8.1 displays an array of ten integers storing values such as, 20, 100, 40, and so on. Each value in
the array is called an element of the array. The numbers 0 to 9 indicate the index or subscript of the
elements in the array. The length or size of the array is 10. The first index begins with zero. Since the
index begins with zero, the index of the last element is always length - 1. Therefore, the last, that is, tenth
element in the given array has an index value of 9. Each element of the array can be accessed using the
subscript or index. Array can be created from primitive data types such as int, float, boolean as well
as from reference type such as object. The array elements are accessed using a single name but with
different subscripts. The values of an array are stored at contiguous locations in memory. This induces
less overhead on the system while searching for values. The use of arrays has the following benefits:

Arrays are the best way of operating on multiple data elements of the same type at the same
Concepts

time.

Arrays make optimum use of memory resources as compared to variables.

Memory is assigned to an array only at the time when the array is actually used. Thus, the memory
is not consumed by an array right from the time it is declared.

256 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Arrays in Java are of the following two types:

Single-dimensional arrays

Multi-dimensional arrays

8.2.1 Declaring, Instantiating, and Initializing Single-dimensional

Array
A single-dimensional array has only one dimension and is visually represented as having a single column
with several rows of data. Each element is accessed using the array name and the index at which the
element is located. Figure 8.2 shows the array named marks and its elements with their values and
indices.

Figure 8.2: Array marks

Figure 8.2 shows a single-dimensional array named marks. The size or length of the array is specified as
4 in square brackets []. This means that marks array can hold a maximum of four values. Each element
of the array is accessed by using the array name and index. For example, marks[0] indicates the first
element in the array. Similarly, marks[3], that is, marks[length-1] indicates the last element of the
array. Notice that there is no element with index 4. Therefore, an attempt to write marks[4] will issue
Concepts

an exception. An exception is an abnormal event that occurs during the program execution and disrupts
the normal flow of instructions. Array creation involves the following tasks:

Declaring an array

Instantiating an array

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 257 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Initializing an array

Note - Array name should follow the same rules as naming a variable.

These tasks are explained as follows:

Declaring an Array:
Declaring an array is similar to declaring any other variable. Declaring an array notifies the compiler
that the variable will contain an array of the specified data type. It does not create an array. The
syntax for declaring a single-dimensional array is as follows:
Syntax:
datatype[] <array-name>;
where,
datatype: Indicates the type of elements that will be stored in the array.
[]: Indicates that the variable is an array.
array-name: Indicates the name by which the elements of the array will be accessed.
For example,
int[] marks;
Similarly, arrays of other types can also be declared as follows:
byte[] byteArray;
float[] floatsArray;
boolean[] booleanArray;
char[] charArray;
String[] stringArray;

Instantiating an Array:
Since array is an object, memory is allocated only when it is instantiated. The syntax for instantiating
an array is as follows:
Syntax:
datatype[] <array-name> = new datatype[size];
Concepts

where,
new: Allocates memory to the array.
size: Indicates the number of elements that can be stored in the array.

258 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

For example,
int[] marks = new int[4];
Similarly, arrays of other types can also be instantiated according to requirement.

Initializing an Array:
Since, array is an object that can store multiple values, array needs to be initialized with the values
to be stored in it. Array can be initialized in the following two ways:
During creation:
To initialize a single-dimensional array during creation, one must specify the values to be
stored while creating the array as follows:

int[ ] marks = {65, 47, 75, 50};

Notice that while initializing an array during creation, the new keyword or size is not required.
This is because all the elements to be stored have been specified and accordingly the
memory gets automatically allocated based on the number of elements. This is also known
as declaration with initialization.
After creation:
A single-dimensional array can also be initialized after creation and instantiation. In this case,
individual elements of the array need to be initialized with appropriate values. For example,

int[] marks = new int[4];

marks[0] = 65;
marks[1] = 47;
marks[2] = 75;
marks[3] = 50;

Notice that in this case, the array must be instantiated and size must be specified. This is
because, the actual values are specified later and to store the values, memory must be
allocated during creation of the array.
Another way of creating an array is to split all the three stages as follows:
int marks[]; // declaration
marks = new int[4]; // instantiation
marks[0] = 65; // initialization
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 259 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Code Snippet 1 demonstrates an example of single-dimensional array.

Code Snippet 1:

package session8;
public class OneDimension {
//Declare a single-dimensional array named marks
int marks[]; // line 1

/**
* Instantiates and initializes a single-dimensional array
*
* @return void
*/
public void storeMarks() {
// Instantiate the array

marks = new int[4]; // line 2

System.out.println(Storing Marks. Please wait...);

// Initialize array elements

marks[0] = 65; // line 3

marks[1] = 47;
marks[2] = 75;
marks[3] = 50;
}
/**
* Displays marks from a single-dimensional array
Concepts

*
* @return void
*/

260 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

public void displayMarks() {

System.out.println(Marks are:);

// Display the marks

System.out.println(marks[0]);
System.out.println(marks[1]);
System.out.println(marks[2]);
System.out.println(marks[3]);
}

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

//Instantiate class OneDimension

OneDimension oneDimenObj = new OneDimension(); //line 4

//Invoke the storeMarks() method

oneDimenObj.storeMarks(); // line 5

//Invoke the displayMarks() method

oneDimenObj.displayMarks(); // line 6
}
}
Concepts

The class OneDimension consists of an array named marks[] declared in line 1. To instantiate and
initialize the array elements, the method storeMarks() is created. The array is instantiated using the
new keyword in line 2.
The elements of the array are assigned values by using the array name and the subscript of the element,
that is, marks[0]. Similarly, to display the array elements, the displayMarks() method is created and
the values stored in each element of marks[] array is displayed.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 261 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

The object oneDimenObj of the class OneDimension is created in line 4. The object is used to invoke
the storeMarks() and displayMarks() methods.
Figure 8.3 shows the output of the code.

Figure 8.3: Output of Single-dimensional Array

8.2.2 Declaring, Instantiating, and Initializing Multi-dimensional

Array
A user can create an array of arrays, that is, a multi-dimensional array. It can be created by using two or
more sets of square brackets, such as int[][] marks. Therefore, each element must be accessed by
the corresponding number of indices.
A multi-dimensional array in Java is an array whose elements are also arrays. This allows the rows to vary
in length.
The syntax for declaring and instantiating a multi-dimensional array is as follows:
Syntax:
datatype[][] <array-name> = new datatype [rowsize][colsize];
where,
datatype: Indicates the type of elements that will be stored in the array.
rowsize and colsize: Indicates the number of rows and columns that the array will contain.
new: Keyword used to allocate memory to the array elements.
For example,
int[][] marks = new int[4][2];
Concepts

The array named marks consists of four rows and two columns. Similarly, arrays of other types can also
be instantiated according to the requirement.

262 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

A multi-dimensional array can be initialized in the following two ways:

During creation:
To initialize a multi-dimensional array during creation, one must specify the values to be stored
while creating the array as follows:
int[][] marks = {{23,65},
{42,47},
{60,75},
{75,50}};
Notice that while initializing an array during creation, the elements in rows are specified in a set of
curly brackets separated by a comma delimiter. Also, the individual rows are separated by a comma
separator.
This is a two-dimensional array that can be represented in a tabular form as shown in figure 8.4.

Figure 8.4: Two-dimensional Array

After creation:
A multi-dimensional array can also be initialized after creation and instantiation. In this case,
individual elements of the array need to be initialized with appropriate values. Each element is
accessed with a row and column subscript. For example,
int[][] marks = new int[4][2];
marks[0][0] = 23; // first row, first column
marks[0][1] = 65; // first row, second column
Concepts

marks[1][0] = 42;
marks[1][1] = 47;

marks[2][0] = 60;
marks[2][1] = 75;

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 263 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

marks[3][0] = 75;
marks[3][1] = 50;
Here, the element 23 is said to be at position (0,0), that is, first row and first column. Therefore, to
store or access the value 23, one must use the syntax marks[0][0]. Similarly, for other values, the
appropriate row-column combination must be used. Similar to row index, column index also starts
at zero. Therefore, in the given scenario, an attempt to write marks[0][2] would result in an
exception as the column size is 2 and column indices are 0 and 1.
Code Snippet 2 demonstrates an example of two-dimensional array.
Code Snippet 2:

package session8;
public class TwoDimension {
//Declare a two-dimensional array named marks
int marks[][]; //line 1
/**
* Stores marks in a two-dimensional array
*
* @return void
*/
public void storeMarks() {
// Instantiate the array
marks = new int[4][2]; // line 2
System.out.println(Storing Marks. Please wait...);

// Initialize array elements

marks[0][0] = 23; // line 3

marks[0][1] = 65;
marks[1][0] = 42;
Concepts

marks[1][1] = 47;
marks[2][0] = 60;

264 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

marks[2][1] = 75;
marks[3][0] = 75;
marks[3][1] = 50;
}
/**
* Displays marks from a two-dimensional array
*
* @return void
*/
public void displayMarks() {
System.out.println(Marks are:);
// Display the marks
System.out.println(Roll no.1: + marks[0][0]+ , + marks[0][1]);
System.out.println(Roll no.2: + marks[1][0]+ , + marks[1][1]);
System.out.println(Roll no.3: + marks[2][0]+ , + marks[2][1]);
System.out.println(Roll no.4: + marks[3][0]+ , + marks[3][1]);
}
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
//Instantiate class TwoDimension
TwoDimension twoDimenObj = new TwoDimension(); // line 4
//Invoke the storeMarks() method
twoDimenObj.storeMarks();
//Invoke the displayMarks() method
twoDimenObj.displayMarks();
Concepts

}
}

The class TwoDimension consists of an array named marks[][] declared in line 1. To instantiate and
initialize the array elements, the method storeMarks() is created.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 265 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

The array is instantiated using the new keyword in line 2. The elements of the array are assigned values by
using the array name and the row-column subscript of the element, that is, marks[0][0]. Similarly, to
display the array elements, the displayMarks() method is created and invoked and the values stored
in each element of marks[][]array is displayed.
The object twoDimenObj of the class TwoDimension is created in line 4. The object is used to invoke
the storeMarks() and displayMarks() methods.
Figure 8.5 shows the output of the code, that is, marks of four students are displayed from the array
marks[][].

Figure 8.5: Output of Two-dimensional Array

8.2.3 Using Loops to Process and Initialize an Array

Consider a situation when a user has to display hundreds and thousands of values in an array. The methods
mentioned earlier to access individual elements of the array would be very tedious and time consuming.
In such a case, the user can use loops to process and initialize an array. Code Snippet 3 depicts the revised
displayMarks() method of the single-dimensional array named marks[].
Code Snippet 3:

...
public void displayMarks() {
System.out.println(Marks are:);
// Display the marks using for loop
for(int count = 0; count < marks.length; count++) {
Concepts

System.out.println(marks[count]);
}
}
...

266 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

In Code Snippet 3, a for loop has been used to iterate the array from zero to marks.length.
The property, length, of the array object is used to obtain the size of the array. Within the loop, each
element is displayed by using the element name and the variable count, that is, marks[count].
Code Snippet 4 depicts the revised displayMarks() method of the two-dimensional array
marks[][].
Code Snippet 4:

...
public void displayMarks(){
System.out.println(Marks are:);

// Display the marks using nested for loop

// outer loop
for (int row = 0; row < marks.length; row++) {
System.out.println(Roll no. + (row+1));

// inner loop
for (int col = 0; col < marks[row].length; col++) {
System.out.println(marks[row][col]);
}
}
}
...

In Code Snippet 4, a nested for loop (outer and inner) has been used to iterate through the array marks.
The outer loop keeps track of the number of rows and inner loop keeps track of the number of columns
in each row. For each row, the inner loop iterates through all the columns using marks[row].length.
Within the inner loop, each element is displayed by using the element name and the row-column count,
that is, marks[row][column].
Figure 8.6 shows the output of the two-dimensional array marks[][], after using the for loop.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 267 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Figure 8.6: Output of Two-dimensional Array Using Loop

One can also use the enhanced for loop to iterate through an array. Code Snippet 5 depicts the modified
displayMarks() method of single-dimensional array marks[] using the enhanced for loop.
Code Snippet 5:

...
public void displayMarks() {
System.out.println(Marks are:);

// Display the marks using enhanced for loop

for(int value:marks) {
System.out.println(value);
}
Concepts

}
...

Here, the loop will print all the values of marks[] array till marks.length without having to explicitly
specify the initializing and terminating conditions for iterating through the loop.

268 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Code Snippet 6 demonstrates the calculation of total marks of each student by using the for loop and
the enhanced for loop together with the two-dimensional array marks[][].
Code Snippet 6:

...
public void totalMarks() {
System.out.println(Total Marks are:);

// Display the marks using for loop and enhanced for loop

for (int row = 0; row < marks.length; row++) {

System.out.println(Roll no. + (row+1));
int sum = 0;

// enhanced for loop

for(int value:marks[row]) {
sum = sum + value;
}
System.out.println(sum);
}
}
...

Here, the enhanced for loop is used to iterate through the columns of the row selected in the outer loop
using marks[row]. The code sum = sum + value will add up the values of all columns of the currently
selected row. The selected row is indicated by the subscript variable row. Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 269 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Figure 8.7 shows the sum of the values of the two-dimensional array named marks[][] using for loop
and enhanced for loop together.

Figure 8.7: Sum of Values of a Two-dimensional Array

8.2.4 Initializing an ArrayList

One major disadvantage of an array is that its size is fixed during creation. The size cannot be modified
later. However, it is sometimes not possible to know in advance as to how many elements will be stored
in an array. For example, when a person is shopping online, the number of items that will be added to
the shopping cart is not fixed from the beginning. In such a case, one might have to create an array of
the largest possible size that may be sufficient to store all the items. However, if the user adds only a
few items to the cart, then the rest of the memory occupied by the array will be wasted. Similarly, if the
user tries to add more items to the cart that exceeds the size of an array, it will generate an error. Also,
addition and deletion of values from an array is a difficult task. Another disadvantage of an array is that
it can hold only one type of elements.
To resolve this issue, it is required to have a construct to which memory can be allocated based on
requirement. Also, addition and deletion of values can be performed easily. Java provides the concept of
collections to address this problem.
A collection is a single object that groups multiple elements into a single unit. Collections are used to
Concepts

store, retrieve, and manipulate aggregate data. Typically, they represent data items that form a natural
group, such as a collection of cards, a collection of letters, or a set of names and phone numbers.
Java provides a set of collection interfaces to create different types of collections. The core Collection
interfaces that encapsulate different types of collections are shown in figure 8.8.

270 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Figure 8.8: The Core Collection Interfaces

The general-purpose implementations are summarized in table 8.1.

Interfaces Hash Resizable Tree Linked Hash table +

table array list Linked list
Set HashSet - TreeSet - LinkedHashSet
List - ArrayList - LinkedList -
Queue - - - - -
Map HashMap - TreeMap - LinkedHashMap
Table 8.1: General-purpose Implementations of Core Collections
The various implementations of the core collections can be used in different situations. However,
HashSet, ArrayList, and HashMap are useful for most applications. Also, the SortedSet and the
SortedMap interfaces are not included in the table since each has one implementation TreeSet and
TreeMap respectively and is listed in the Set and the Map rows. Queue has two implementations namely,
LinkedList which is the List implementation, and PriorityQueue, which is not listed in the table.
These two implementations provide very different semantics. LinkedList uses First In First Out (FIFO)
ordering, while PriorityQueue orders the elements according to their values.
Each of the implementations provides all optional operations present in its interface. All implementations
permit null elements, keys, and values. To use the interfaces, the user must import the java.util
package into the class.

Note - A package is a collection of related classes. The java.util package consists of all the collection
interfaces and classes.
The ArrayList class is a frequently used collection that has the following characteristics:

It is flexible and can be increased or decreased in size as needed.

Concepts

Provides several useful methods to manipulate the collection.

Insertion and deletion of data is simpler.

It can be traversed by using for loop, enhanced for loop, or other iterators.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 271 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

The Arraylist collection provides methods to manipulate the size of the array. ArrayList extends
AbstractList and implements the interfaces such as List, Cloneable, and Serializable. The
capacity of an ArrayList grows automatically. It stores all elements including null.
Table 8.2 lists the constructors of ArrayList class.

Constructor Description
ArrayList( ) Creates an empty array list.
ArrayList(Collection c) Creates an array list initialized with the elements of the
collection c.
ArrayList(int capacity) Creates an array list with a specified initial capacity. Capacity
is the size of the underlying array used to store the elements.
The capacity can grow automatically as elements are added
to an array list.
Table 8.2: Constructors of ArrayList Class
ArrayList consists of several methods for adding elements. These methods can be broadly divided into
following two categories:

Methods that append one or more elements to the end of the list.

Methods that insert one or more elements at a position within the list.
Table 8.3 lists the methods of ArrayList class.

Method Description
void add(int index, Inserts the specified element at the given index in
Object element) this list. If index>=size() or index<0, it throws
IndexOutOfBoundsException.
boolean add(Object o) Appends the specified element to the end of this list.
boolean Appends all elements in the specified collection to the
addAll(Collection c) end of this list. If the specified collection is null, it throws
NullPointerException.
boolean addAll(int Inserts all of the elements in the specified collection into this
index, Collection c) list, starting at the specified index. If the collection is null, it
throws NullPointerException.
void clear() Removes all of the elements from this list.
Object clone() Returns a copy of the ArrayList.
Concepts

boolean contains(Object Returns true if and only if the list contains the specified
o) element.
void ensureCapacity(int Increases the capacity of the ArrayList, if required, to
minCapacity) ensure that it can store at least as many number of elements
as indicated by the minimum capacity.

272 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Method Description
Object get(int index) Returns the element at the specified index in this
list. If index>=size() or index<0, it throws
IndexOutOfBoundsException.
int indexOf(Object o) Returns the index of the first occurrence of the specified
element in the list. If the element is not found, it returns -1.
int lastIndexOf(Object Returns the index of the last occurrence of the specified
o) element in this list. If the element is not found, it returns -1.
Object remove(int index) Removes the element at the specified index in this
list. If index >= size() or index < 0, it throws
IndexOutOfBoundsException.
protected void Removes all the elements between fromIndex, inclusive
removeRange(int and toIndex, exclusive of the list.
fromIndex, int toIndex)
Object set(int index, Replaces the element at the specified index in this list with
Object element) the newly specified element. If index >= size() or
index < 0, it throws IndexOutOfBoundsException.
int size() Returns the number of elements in this list.
Object[] toArray() Returns an array containing all of the elements in the
list in the correct order. If the array is null, it throws
NullPointerException.
Object[] Returns an array containing all of the elements in the list in
toArray(Object[] a) the correct order. The type of the returned array is same as
that of the specified array.
void trimToSize() Trims the capacity of the ArrayList to the lists actual size.
Table 8.3: Methods of ArrayList Class
To traverse an ArrayList, one can use one of the following approaches:

A for loop

An enhanced for loop

Iterator

ListIterator
Concepts

Iterator interface provides methods for traversing a set of data. It can be used with arrays as well as
the various classes of the Collection framework.
The Iterator interface provides the following methods for traversing a collection:

next(): This method returns the next element of the collection.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 273 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

hasNext(): This method returns true if there are additional elements in the collection.

remove(): This method removes the element from the list while iterating through the collection.
There are no specific methods in the ArrayList class for sorting. However, one can use the sort()
method of the Collections class to sort an ArrayList. The syntax for using the sort() method is
as follows:
Syntax:
Collections.sort(<list-name>);
Code Snippet 7 demonstrates instantiation and initialization of an ArrayList.
Code Snippet 7:

ArrayList marks = new ArrayList(); // Instantiate an ArrayList

marks.add(67); // Initialize an ArrayList
marks.add(50);

8.2.5 Accessing Values in an ArrayList

An ArrayList can be iterated by using the for loop or by using the Iterator interface. Code Snippet
8 demonstrates the use of ArrayList named marks to add and display marks of students.
Code Snippet 8:

package session8;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.Iterator;
public class ArrayLists{
// Create an ArrayList instance
ArrayList marks = new ArrayList(); // line 1
/**
* Stores marks in ArrayList
*
Concepts

* @return void
*/

274 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

public void storeMarks(){

System.out.println(Storing marks. Please wait...);
marks.add(67); // line 2
marks.add(50);
marks.add(45);
marks.add(75);
}

/**
* Displays marks from ArrayList
*
* @return void
*/
public void displayMarks() {
System.out.println(Marks are:);
// iterating the list using for loop
System.out.println(Iterating ArrayList using for loop:);
for (int i = 0; i < marks.size(); i++) {
System.out.println(marks.get(i));
}
System.out.println(-------------------------------------);
// Iterate the list using Iterator interface
Iterator imarks = marks.iterator(); // line 3

System.out.println(Iterating ArrayList using Iterator:);

while (imarks.hasNext()) { // line 4
System.out.println(imarks.next()); // line 5
Concepts

}
System.out.println(-------------------------------------);

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 275 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

// Sort the list

Collections.sort(marks); // line 6
System.out.println(Sorted list is: + marks);
}
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
//Instantiate the class OneDimension
ArrayLists obj = new ArrayLists(); // line 7

//Invoke the storeMarks() method

obj.storeMarks();

//Invoke the displayMarks() method

obj.displayMarks();
}
}

The ArrayList named marks has been instantiated in line 1. The storeMarks() method is used to
add elements to the collection by using marks.add() method as shown in line 2.
Within the displayMarks() method, a for loop is used to iterate the ArrayList marks from 0 to
marks.size(). The get() method is used to retrieve the element at index i.
Similarly, the Iterator object imarks is instantiated in line 3 and attached with the marks ArrayList
using marks.iterator(). It is used to iterate through the collection. The Iterator interface provides
the hasNext() method to check if there are any more elements in the collection as shown in line 4. The
method, next() is used to traverse to the next element in the collection. The retrieved element is then
displayed to the user in line 5.
The static method, sort() of Collections class is used to sort the ArrayList marks in line 6 and
print the values on the screen. Within main() method, the object of ArrayLists class has been created
Concepts

in line 7 and the methods storeMarks() and displayMarks() have been invoked.
Figure 8.9 shows the output of the code.

276 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Figure 8.9: Output of ArrayList marks

The values of an ArrayList can also be printed by simply writing System.out.println(Marks
are:+ marks). In this case the output would be: Marks are:[67, 50, 45, 75].

8.3 Introduction to Strings

Consider a scenario, where in a user wants to store the name of a person. One can create a character
array as shown in Code Snippet 9.
Code Snippet 9:
char[] name = {J,u,l,i,a}

Similarly, to store names of multiple persons, one can create a two-dimensional array. However, the
number of characters in an array must be fixed during creation. This is not possible since the names
of persons may be of variable sizes. Also, manipulating the character array would be tedious and time
consuming. Java provides the String data type to store multiple characters without creating an array.

8.3.1 Strings
Concepts

String literals such as Hello in Java are implemented as instances of the String class. Strings are
constant and immutable, that is, their values cannot be changed once they are created. String buffers
allow creation of mutable strings. A simple String instance can be created by enclosing a string literal
inside double quotes as shown in Code Snippet 10.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 277 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Code Snippet 10:

...
String name = Mary;
// This is equivalent to:
char name[] = {M, a, r, y};
...

An instance of a String class can also be created using the new keyword, as shown in
Code Snippet 11.
Code Snippet 11:

String str = new String();

The code creates a new object of class String, and assigns its reference to the variable str.
Java also provides special support for concatenation of strings using the plus (+) operator and for
converting data of other types to strings as depicted in Code Snippet 12.
Code Snippet 12:

...
String str = Hello;
String str1 = World;
// The two strings can be concatenated by using the operator +
System.out.println(str + str1);
// This will print HelloWorld on the screen
...

One can convert a character array to a string as depicted in Code Snippet 13.
Code Snippet 13:

char[] name = {J, o, h, n};

String empName = new String(name);

The java.lang.String class is a final class, that is, no class can extend it. The java.lang.String
Concepts

class differs from other classes, in that one can use += and + operators with String objects for
concatenation.
If the string is not likely to change later, one can use the String class. Thus, a String class can be used
for the following reasons:

String is immutable and so it can be safely shared between multiple threads.

278 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

The threads will only read them, which is normally a thread safe operation.

Note - A thread is a single unit of execution in a program. The JVM allows an application to execute
multiple threads of a process concurrently.
However, if the string is likely to change later and it will be shared between multiple threads, one can use
the StringBuffer class. The use of StringBuffer class ensures that the string is updated correctly.
However, the drawback is that the method execution is comparatively slower.
If the string is likely to change later but will not be shared between multiple threads, one can use the
StringBuilder class. The StringBuilder class can be used for the following reasons:

It allows modification of the strings without the overhead of synchronization.

Methods of StringBuilder class execute as fast as, or faster, than those of the StringBuffer
class

8.3.2 Working with String Class

The String class provides methods for manipulating individual characters of the string, comparing
strings, extracting substrings, searching strings, and for converting a string to uppercase or to lowercase.
Some of the frequently used methods of String class are as follows:

length(String str)
The length() method is used to find the length of a string. For example,
String str = Hello;
System.out.println(str.length()); // output: 5

charAt(int index)
The charAt() method is used to retrieve the character value at a specific index. The index ranges
from zero to length() 1. The index of the first character starts at zero. For example,
System.out.println(str.charAt(2)); // output: l

concat(String str)
The concat() method is used to concatenate a string specified as argument to the end of another
string. If the length of the string is zero, the original String object is returned, otherwise a new
Concepts

String object is returned.

System.out.println(str.concat(World)); // output: HelloWorld

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 279 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

compareTo(String str)
The compareTo() method is used to compare two String objects. The comparison returns an
integer value as the result. The comparison is based on the Unicode value of each character in the
strings. That is, the result will return a negative value, if the argument string is alphabetically greater
than the original string. The result will return a positive value, if argument string is alphabetically
lesser than the original string and the result will return a value of zero, if both the strings are equal.
For example,
System.out.println(str.compareTo(World)); // output: -15
The output is 15 because, the second string World begins with W which is alphabetically
greater than the first character H of the original string, str. The difference between the position
of H and W is 15. Since H is smaller than W, the result will be -15.

Note - Unicode is a standard that provides a unique number for every character irrespective of
the platform, program, or language. The Unicode Standard has been adopted for programming by
major industry leaders such as IBM, Apple, Microsoft, HP, Oracle, Sun, SAP, and several others.

indexOf(String str)
The indexOf() method returns the index of the first occurrence of the specified character or
string within a string.
If the character or string is not found, the method returns -1. For example,
System.out.println(str.indexOf(e)); // output: 1

lastIndexOf(String str)
The lastIndexOf() method returns the index of the last occurrence of a specified character
or string from within a string. The specified character or string is searched backwards that is the
search begins from the last character. For example,
System.out.println(str.lastIndexOf(l)); // output: 3

replace(char old, char new)

The replace() method is used to replace all the occurrences of a specified character in the current
string with a given new character. If the specified character does not exist, the reference of original
string is returned. For example,
System.out.println(str.replace(e,a)); // output: Hallo
Concepts

substring(int beginIndex, int endIndex)

The substring() method is used to retrieve a part of a string, that is, substring from
the given string. One can specify the start index and the end index for the substring. If end
index is not specified, all characters from the start index to the end of the string will be
returned.

280 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

The substring begins at the specified position denoted by index or beginIndex and extends
to the character specified by index or endIndex - 1. Thus, the length of the substring is
endIndex beginIndex. Here, the beginIndex is included in the output whereas the
endIndex is excluded.
For example,
System.out.println(str.substring(2,5)); // output: llo

toString()
The toString() method is used to return a String object. It is used to convert values of other
data types into strings. For example,
Integer length = 5;
System.out.println(length.toString()); // output: 5
Notice that the output is still 5. However, now it is represented as a string instead of an integer.

Note - The class Integer used in the example is a Wrapper class for the primitive data type
int.

trim()
The trim() method returns a new string by trimming the leading and trailing whitespace from the
current string. For example,
String str1 = Hello ;
System.out.println(str1.trim()); // output: Hello
The trim() method will return Hello after removing the spaces.
Code Snippet 14 demonstrates the use of String class methods.
Code Snippet 14:

public class Strings {

String str = Hello; // Initialize a String variable
Integer strLength = 5; // Use the Integer wrapper class
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 281 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

/**
* Displays strings using various String class methods
*
* @return void
*/
public void displayStrings(){
// using various String class methods
System.out.println(String length is:+ str.length());
System.out.println(Character at index 2 is:+ str.charAt(2));
System.out.println(Concatenated string is:+ str.concat(World));
System.out.println(String comparison is:+ str.compareTo(World));
System.out.println(Index of o is:+ str.indexOf(o));
System.out.println(Last index of l is:+ str.lastIndexOf(l));
System.out.println(Replaced string is:+ str.replace(e,a));
System.out.println(Substring is:+ str.substring(2, 5));
System.out.println(Integer to String is:+ strLength.toString()) ;
String str1= Hello ;
System.out.println(Untrimmed string is:+ str1);
System.out.println(Trimmed string is:+ str1.trim());
}

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

//Instantiate class, Strings

Concepts

Strings objString = new Strings(); // line 1

282 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

//Invoke the displayStrings() method

objString.displayStrings();
}
}

The class Strings consists of a String variable str. The member variable has been initialized with
the value Hello and an Integer variable named strLength has been initialized with a value 5.
The displayStrings() method is used to display the values generated by using the various String
class methods. The class Strings is instantiated in line 1. The object, objString is used to invoke the
displayStrings() method.
Figure 8.10 shows the output of the Strings.java class.

Figure 8.10: Output of Strings.java Class

8.3.3 Working with StringBuilder Class

StringBuilder objects are similar to String objects, except that they are mutable. Internally,
the system treats these objects as a variable-length array containing a sequence of characters. The
length and content of the sequence of characters can be changed through methods available in the
Concepts

StringBuilder class. However, developers prefer to use String class unless StringBuilder offers
an advantage of simpler code in some cases. For example, for concatenating a large number of strings,
using a StringBuilder object is more efficient.
The StringBuilder class also provides a length() method that returns the length of the character
sequence in the class.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 283 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

However, unlike strings a StringBuilder object also has a property capacity that specifies the number
of character spaces that have been allocated. The capacity is returned by the capacity() method
and is always greater than or equal to the length. The capacity to hold data in the instance of the
StringBuilder class will automatically expand according to the user requirement to accommodate
the new strings when added to the string builder.
Thus, the StringBuilder class is used for manipulating the String object. Objects of StringBuilder
class are mutable and flexible. StringBuilder object allows insertion of characters and strings as well
as appending characters and strings at the end.
The constructors of the StringBuilder class are as follows:

StringBuilder(): Default constructor that provides space for 16 characters.

StringBuilder(int capacity): Constructs an object without any characters in it. However, it

reserves space for the number of characters specified in the argument, capacity.

StringBuilder(String str): Constructs an object that is initialized with the contents of the
specified string, str.

8.3.4 Methods of StringBuilder Class

The StringBuilder class provides several methods for appending, inserting, deleting, and reversing
strings as follows:

append()
The append() method is used to append values at the end of the StringBuilder object. This
method accepts different types of arguments, including char, int, float, double, boolean, and
so on, but the most common argument is String.
For each append() method, String.valueOf() method is invoked to convert the
parameter into a corresponding string representation value and then the new string is appended to the
StringBuilder object.
For example,
StringBuilder str = new StringBuilder(JAVA );
System.out.println(str.append(SE ); // output: JAVA SE
System.out.println(str.append(7); // output: JAVA SE 7
Concepts

insert()
The insert() method is used to insert one string into another. Similar to the append()method,
it calls the String.valueOf() method to obtain the string representation of the value. The new
string is inserted into the invoking StringBuilder object. The insert() method has several
versions as follows:

284 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

StringBuilder insert(int insertPosition, String str)

StringBuilder insert(int insertPosition, char ch)
StringBuilder insert(int insertPosition, float f)
For example,
StringBuilder str = new StringBuilder(JAVA 7 );
System.out.println(str.insert(5, SE); // output: JAVA SE 7

delete()
The delete() method deletes the specified number of characters from the invoking
StringBuilder object.
For example,
StringBuilder str = new StringBuilder(JAVA SE 7);
System.out.println(str.delete(4,7); // output: JAVA 7

reverse()
The reverse() method is used to reverse the characters within a StringBuilder object.
For example,
StringBuilder str = new StringBuilder(JAVA SE 7);
System.out.println(str.reverse()); // output: 7 ES AVAJ
Code Snippet 15 demonstrates the use of methods of the StringBuilder class.
Code Snippet 15:

package session8;
public class StringBuilders {
// Instantiate a StringBuilder object
StringBuilder str = new StringBuilder(JAVA );

/**
* Displays strings using various StringBuilder methods
Concepts

*
* @return void
*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 285 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

public void displayStrings(){

// Use the various methods of the StringBuilder class

System.out.println(Appended String is + str.append(7));

System.out.println(Inserted String is + str.insert(5, SE ));
System.out.println(Deleted String is + str.delete(4,7));
System.out.println(Reverse String is + str.reverse());
}
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

//Instantiate the StringBuilders class

StringBuilders objStrBuild = new StringBuilders(); // line 1

//Invoke the displayStrings() method

objStrBuild.displayStrings();
}
}

The class StringBuilders consists of a StringBuilder object named str and initializes it with the
value JAVA . The displayStrings() method is used to display the output generated after using
the various StringBuilder class methods. The class StringBuilders is instantiated in line 1. The
object objStrBuild is used to invoke the displayStrings() method.
Concepts

286 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Figure 8.11 shows the output of the StringBuilders.java class.

Figure 8.11: Output of StringBuilders.java Class

8.3.5 String Arrays

Sometimes there is a need to store a collection of strings. String arrays can be created in Java in the
same manner as arrays of primitive data types. For example,
String[] empNames = new String[10];
This statement will allocate memory to store references of 10 strings. However, no memory is allocated
to store the characters that make up the individual strings. Loops can be used to initialize as well as
display the values of a String array.
Code Snippet 16 demonstrates the creation of a String array.
Code Snippet 16:

package session8;
public class StringArray {
// Instantiate a String array
String[] empID = new String[5];

/**
* Creates a String array
* @return void
*/
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 287 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

public void createArray() {

System.out.println(Creating Array. Please wait...);

// Use a for loop to initialize the array

for(int count = 1; count < empID.length; count++){

empID[count]= E00+count; // storing values in the array

}
}
/**
* Displays the elements of a String array
* @return void
*/
public void printArray() {
System.out.println(The Array is:);

// Use a for loop to print the array

for(int count = 1; count < empID.length; count++){
System.out.println(Employee ID is: + empID[count]);
}
}
Concepts

288 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

//Instantiate class Strings

StringArray objStrArray = new StringArray(); // line 1

//Invoke createArray() method

objStrArray.createArray();

//Invoke printArray() method

objStrArray.printArray();
}
}

The class StringArray consists of a String array object named empID having a size of 5. The
createArray() method is used to initialize the elements of the array using the for loop and the
printArray() method is used to print the values of the array. The class StringArray is instantiated in
line 1. The object objStrArray is used to invoke the createArray() and printArray() methods.
Figure 8.12 shows the output of the StringArray.java class.

Figure 8.12: Output of StringArray.java Class

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 289 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

8.3.6 Command Line Arguments

A user can pass any number of arguments to a Java application at runtime from the OS command line. The
main() method declares a parameter named args[] which is a String array that accepts arguments
from the command line. These arguments are placed on the command line and follow the class name
when it is executed. For example,
java EmployeeDetail Roger Smith Manager
Here, EmployeeDetail is the name of a class and Roger, Smith, and Manager are command line
arguments which are stored in the array in the order that they are specified. When the application is
launched, the runtime system passes the command line arguments to the applications main() method
using a String array, args[]. Note, that the array of strings can be given any other name. The args[]
array accepts the arguments and stores them at appropriate locations in the array. Also, the length of the
array is determined from the number of arguments passed at runtime. The arguments are separated by
a space.
The basic purpose of command line arguments is to specify the configuration information for the
application.
As already learnt, that the main() method is the entry point of a Java program, where objects are
created and methods are invoked.
The static main() method accepts a String array as an argument as depicted in Code Snippet 17.
Code Snippet 17:

public static void main(String[] args) {}

The parameter of the main() method is a String array that represents the command line arguments.
The size of the array is set to the number of arguments specified at runtime. All command line arguments
are passed as strings.
Code Snippet 18 demonstrates an example of command line arguments.
Code Snippet 18:

package session8;
public class CommandLine {

/**
Concepts

* @param args the command line arguments

*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

290 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

// Check the number of command line arguments

if(args.length==3) {
// Display the values of individual arguments
System.out.println(First Name is +args[0]);
System.out.println(Last Name is +args[1]);
System.out.println(Designation is +args[2]);
}
else {
System.out.println(Specify the First Name, Last Name, and Designation);
}
}
}

The class CommandLine consists of the main() method. Within main() method, the if statement
checks whether the number of command line arguments specified is equal to 3. If so, it prints the values
present in the respective elements of the array such as args[0], args[1], and args[2]; otherwise it
prints the message specified in the else part.
To run the program with command line arguments at command prompt, do the following:
1. Open the command prompt.
2. Compile the Java program by writing the following statement:
javac CommandLine.java
3. Execute the program by writing the following statement:
java CommandLine Roger Smith Manager
To run the program with command line arguments using NetBeans IDE, perform the following steps:
1. Right-click the project name in the Projects tab and click Properties. The Project Properties dialog
box is displayed.
2. Click Run in the Categories pane to the left. The runtime properties are displayed in the right pane
as shown in figure 8.13.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 291 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Figure 8.13: Runtime Settings of a Java Program

3. Type the arguments Roger, Smith, and Manager in the Arguments box as shown in figure 8.14.
Concepts

292 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Figure 8.14: Specifying Command Line Arguments

4. Click OK to close the Project Properties dialog box.
5. Click Run on the toolbar or press F6. The command line arguments are supplied to the main()
method and printed as shown in figure 8.15.

Figure 8.15: Output of CommandLine.java Class

Concepts

8.4 Wrapper Classes

Java provides a set of classes known as wrapper classes for each of its primitive data type that wraps the
primitive type into an object of that class. In other words, the wrapper classes allow accessing primitive
data types as objects. The wrapper classes for the primitive data types are: Byte, Character, Integer,
Long, Short, Float, Double, and Boolean.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 293 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

The wrapper classes are part of the java.lang package. The primitive types and the corresponding
wrapper types are listed in table 8.4.

Primitive type Wrapper class

byte Byte
char Character
float Float
double Double
int Integer
long Long
short Short
boolean Boolean

Table 8.4: Primitive Types and Wrapper Classes

Now, one might ask What is the need for wrapper classes? . The use of primitive types as objects can
simplify tasks at times. For example, most of the collections store objects and not primitive data types.
In other words, many of the activities reserved for objects will not be available to primitive data types.
Also, many utility methods are provided by the wrapper classes that help to manipulate data. Since,
wrapper classes convert primitive data types to objects, they can be stored in any type of collection and
also passed as parameters to methods.
Wrapper classes can convert numeric strings to numeric values. The valueOf() method is available
with all the wrapper classes to convert a type into another type. However, the valueOf() method of the
Character class accepts only char as an argument whereas any other wrapper class accepts either the
corresponding primitive type or String as an argument .The typeValue() method can also be used to
return the value of an object as its primitive type.
Some of the wrapper classes and their methods are listed in table 8.5.

Wrapper Methods Example

Class
Byte byteValue() returns a byte byteVal = Byte.byteValue();
byte value of the invoking byte byteVal = Byte.
object. parseByte(45);
parseByte() returns the
byte value from a string storing
a byte value.
Concepts

294 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Wrapper Methods Example

Class
Character isDigit() checks if a if(Character.isDigit(4)
character is a digit. System.out.println(Digit);
isLowerCase() checks
if a character is a lower case
if(Character.isLetter(L)
alphabet.
System.out.println(Letter);
isLetter() checks if a
character is an alphabet.
Integer intValue() returns the int intVal = Integer.intValue();
Integer value as a primitive int intVal=Integer.parseInt(45);
type int.
parseInt() - returns the int
value from a string storing an
integer value.
Table 8.5: Methods of Wrapper Classes
The difference between creation of a primitive type and a wrapper type is as follows:
Primitive type:
int x = 10;
Wrapper type:
Integer y = new Integer(20);
The first statement declares and initializes the int variable x to 10 whereas the second statement
instantiates an Integer object y and initializes it with the value 20. In this case, the reference of the
object is assigned to the object variable y. The memory assignment for the two statements is shown in
figure 8.16.

Concepts

Figure 8.16: Primitive Type and Wrapper Type

It is clear from the figure that x is a variable that holds a value whereas y is an object variable that holds
a reference to an object.
The six methods of type parseXxx() available for each numeric wrapper type are in close relation to
the valueOf() methods of all the numeric wrapper classes including Boolean.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 295 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

The two type of methods, that is, parseXxx() and valueOf(), take a String as an argument and if
the String argument is not properly formed, both the methods throw a NumberFormatException.
These methods can convert String objects of different bases if the underlying primitive type is any of
the four integer types.
However, the parseXxx() method returns a named primitive whereas the valueOf() method returns
a new wrapped object of the type that invoked the method.
Code Snippet 19 demonstrates the use of Integer wrapper class to convert the numbers passed by
user as strings at command line into integer types to perform the calculation based on the selected
operation.
Code Snippet 19:

package session8;
public class Wrappers {
/**
* Performs calculation based on user input
*
* @return void
*/
public void calcResult(int num1, int num2, String choice){

// Switch case to evaluate the choice

switch(choice) {
case +: System.out.println(Result after addition is: +
(num1+num2));
break;
case -: System.out.println(Result after subtraction is: +
(num1-num2));
break;
case *: System.out.println(Result after multiplication is: +
Concepts

(num1*num2));
break;

296 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

case /: System.out.println(Result after division is: + (num1/num2));

break;
}
}
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

// Check the number of command line arguments

if(args.length==3){

// Use the Integer wrapper to convert String argument to int type

int num1 = Integer.parseInt(args[0]);

int num2 = Integer.parseInt(args[1]);

// Instantiate the Wrappers class

Wrappers objWrap = new Wrappers();

// Invoke the calcResult() method

objWrap.calcResult(num1, num2, args[2]);
}
else{
System.out.println(Usage: num1 num2 operator);
}
Concepts

}
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 297 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

The class Wrappers consists of the calcResult() method that accepts two numbers and an operator
as the parameter. The main() method is used to convert the String arguments to int type by using
the Integer wrapper class.
Next, the object, objWrap of Wrappers class is created to invoke the calcResult() method with
three arguments namely, num1, num2, and args[2] which is the operator specified by the user as the
third argument.
To run the class, specify the command line values as 35, 48, and - in the Arguments box as shown in
figure 8.17.

Figure 8.17: Specifying Command Line Arguments

When the program is executed, the first two arguments are stored in the args[0] and args[1] elements
and then, converted to integers. The third argument is stored in the args[2] element. It is the operator
to be applied on the numbers. The output of the code is shown in figure 8.18.
Concepts

298 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Figure 8.18: Output of Wrappers.java Class

8.4.1 Autoboxing and Unboxing

Java provides the feature of automatic conversion of primitive data types such as int, float, and so on to
their corresponding object types such as Integer, Float, and so on during assignments and invocation
of methods and constructors. This automatic conversion of primitive types to object types is known as
autoboxing.
For example,
ArrayList<Integer> intList = new ArrayList<Integer>();
intList.add(10); // autoboxing
Integer y = 20; // autoboxing
Similarly, conversion of object types to primitive data types is known as unboxing.
For example,
int z = y; // unboxing
Autoboxing and unboxing helps a developer to write a cleaner code. Also, using autoboxing and unboxing,
one can make use of the methods of wrapper classes as and when required.
Code Snippet 20 demonstrates an example of autoboxing and unboxing.
Code Snippet 20:

package session8;
public class AutoUnbox {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 299 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

public static void main(String args[]) {

Character chBox = A; // Autoboxing a character
char chUnbox = chBox; // Unboxing a character

// Print the values

System.out.println(Character after autoboxing is:+ chBox) ;
System.out.println(Character after unboxing is: + chUnbox);
}
}

The class AutoUnbox consists of two variable declarations chBox and chUnbox. chBox is an object type
and chUnbox is a primitive type of character variable. Figure 8.19 shows the output of the code.

Figure 8.19: Output of AutoUnbox.java Class

Figure 8.19 shows that both primitive as well as object type variable give the same output. However, the
variable of type object, that is chBox, can take advantage of the methods available with the wrapper
class Character which are not available with the primitive type char.
Concepts

300 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

8.5 Check Your Progress

1. ________ objects are similar to String objects, except that they are mutable.

(A) StringTokenizer (C) StringBuilder

(B) StringEditor (D) StringDesigner

2. Which of the following statements about an array are true?

An array is a container object that

After creation of the array, its length
a. can hold a fixed number of values c.
becomes fixed.
of a single type.
The first index begins with zero and
The values of an array are stored at
b. the index of last element is always d.
scattered locations in memory.
equal to the length.

(A) a, c (C) b, d

(B) a, d (D) b, c

3. Match the following String method code snippets with the corresponding outputs with respect
to the statement, String str=Java.

Code Snippet Output

a. System.out.println(str.compareTo(World)); 1. v

b. System.out.println(str.concat(World)); 2. -13

c. System.out.println(str.indexOf(e)); 3. JavaWorld

d. System.out.println(str.charAt(2)); 4. -1
Concepts

(A) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2 (C) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1

(B) a-2, b-4, c-3, d-1 (D) a-2, b-3, c-4, d-1

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 301 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

4. Which of the following option will declare and initialize a single-dimensional array?
int marks = {65, 47, 75, int[ ] marks = {65, 47,
(A) 50}; (C) 75, 50};
int[ ] marks = {65, 47, int[ ] marks =
(B) 75, 50}; (D) {65},{47},{75},{50};

5. Consider the following code snippet to add two numbers specified by user at command line:
public class Addition{
public static void main(String[] args) {
if(args.length==2) {
int sum = args[0]+args[1]; // line 1
System.out.println(Sum is:+sum);
}
else{
System.out.println(Specify two integers.);
}
}
}

The code is giving compilation error Incompatible types. What change must be made in
line 1 to resolve the error?
int sum = (int)(args[0])+ String sum = args[0]+
(A) (int)(args[1]); (C) args[1];
int sum = args[0]. int sum = Integer.
(B) toInteger()+ args[1]. (D) parseInt(args[0])+ Integer.
toInteger(); parseInt(args[1]);
Concepts

302 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

6. Consider the following code snippet:

Integer x = 10; // line 1
int y = x; // line 2
int x1=10;
float z=x1; // line 3
int w = (int)z; // line 4

Match the code snippet at following lines with the corresponding Java feature.
Line Number Output

a. line 1 1. Implicit Type Casting

b. line 2 2. Autoboxing

c. line 3 3. Explicit Type Casting

d. line 4 4. Unboxing

(A) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2 (C) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1

(B) a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3 (D) a-2, b-3, c-4, d-1

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 303 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

8.5.1 Answers
1. C
2. A
3. D
4. B
5. D
6. B
Concepts

304 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Summary
An array is a special data store that can hold a fixed number of values of a single type in
contiguous memory locations.
A single-dimensional array has only one dimension and is visually represented as having a single
column with several rows of data.
A multi-dimensional array in Java is an array whose elements are also arrays.
A collection is an object that groups multiple elements into a single unit.
Strings are constant and immutable, that is, their values cannot be changed once they are created.
StringBuilder objects are similar to String objects, except that they are mutable.
Java provides a set of classes known as Wrapper classes for each of its primitive data type that
wrap the primitive type into an object of that class.
The automatic conversion of primitive types to object types is known as autoboxing and
conversion of object types to primitive types is known as unboxing.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 305 of 456

 8
Session Arrays and Strings

Try it Yourself
1. CompuTech is a well known computer training institute in Los Angeles, USA. The institute teaches
several computer courses such as Java, .NET, and so on. The institute also organizes coding
competitions for students of the institute. As a student of Java course, you have participated in the
Java coding competition and you have been assigned the following problem:
Create a Java program to accept employee details for employees of Sales department such as
Employee ID, Name, Designation, Salary, and Sales. Based on the employees sales, calculate the
commission according to the rules given in table 8.6:

Sales Commission
>=10000 30% of basic salary
>=8000 30% of basic salary
>=6000 20% of basic salary
>=4000 10% of basic salary
Table 8.6: Rules for Calculating Commission
Based on the commission, calculate the total salary by adding the commission amount to the basic
salary. Display the details of the employee as follows:

Employee ID:
Employee Name:
Designation:
Basic Salary:
Sales Done:
Commission:
Total Salary:
Concepts

306 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 Session - 9
Modifiers and Packages
Welcome to the Session, Modifiers and Packages.

This session explains the use of different field and method modifiers in
Java with the rules and best practices for using field modifiers. Further, this
session describes class variables, methods, and creation and advantages
of using packages. Lastly, the session explains the creation of .jar files for
deployment.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Describe field and method modifiers

Explain the different types of modifiers

Explain the rules and best practices for using field

modifiers

Describe class variables

Explain the creation of static variables and methods

Describe package and its advantages

Explain the creation of user-defined package

Explain the creation of .jar files for deployment

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

9.1 Introduction
Java is a tightly encapsulated language. This means, that no code can be written outside the class. Not
even the main() method. However, even within the class, code can become vulnerable to access from
external environment. For this purpose, Java provides a set of access specifiers such as public, private,
protected, and default that help to restrict access to class and class members. However, at times, it
is required to further restrict access to the members of a class to prevent modification by unauthorized
code. Java provides additional field and method modifiers for this purpose.
Also, in some cases, it may be required to have a common data member that can be shared by all objects
of a class as well as other classes. Java provides the concept of class variables and methods to solve
this purpose. Classes sharing common attributes and behavior can also be grouped together for better
understanding of the application. Java provides packages that can be used to group related classes. Also,
the entire set of packages can be combined into a single file called the .jar file for deployment on the
target system.

9.2 Field and Method Modifiers

Field and method modifiers are keywords used to identify fields and methods that provide controlled
access to users. Some of these can be used in conjunction with access specifiers such as public and
protected. The different field modifiers that can be used are as follows:

volatile

native

transient

final

9.2.1 volatile Modifier

The volatile modifier allows the content of a variable to be synchronized across all running threads. A
thread is an independent path of execution of code within a program. Many threads can run concurrently
within a program. The volatile modifier is applied only to fields. Constructors, methods, classes, and
interfaces cannot use this modifier. The volatile modifier is not frequently used.
While working with a multithreaded program, the volatile keyword is used. When multiple threads
of a program are using the same variable, in general, each thread has its own copy of that variable in the
Concepts

local cache. In such a case, if the value of the variable is updated, it updates the copy in the local cache
and not the main variable present in the memory. The other thread using the same variable does not get
the updated value.
To avoid this problem, a variable is declared as volatile to indicate that it will not be stored in the local
cache.

308 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Also, whenever a thread updates the values of the variable, it is updates the variable present in the main
memory. This helps other threads to access the updated value.
For example,

private volatile int testValue; // volatile variable

9.2.2 native Modifier

In some cases, it is required to use a method in Java program that resides outside JVM. For this purpose,
Java provides the native modifier. The native modifier is used only with methods. It indicates that
the implementation of the method is in a language other than Java such as C or C++. Constructors, fields,
classes, and interfaces cannot use this modifier. The methods declared using the native modifier are
called native methods.
The Java source file typically contains only the declaration of the native method and not its implementation.
In case of the native modifier, the implementation of the method exists in a library outside the JVM.
Before invoking a native method, the library that contains the method implementation must be loaded
by making the following system call:

System.loadLibrary(libraryName);
To declare a native method, the method is preceded with the native modifier. Also, the implementation
is not provided for the method. For example,

public native void nativeMethod();

After declaring a native method, a complex series of steps are used to link it with the Java code.
Code Snippet 1 demonstrates an example of loading a library named NativeMethodDefinition
containing a native method named nativeMethod().
Code Snippet 1:

class NativeModifier {
native void nativeMethod(); // declaration of a native method
/**
* static code block to load the library
*/
static {
Concepts

System.loadLibrary(NativeMethodDefinition);

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 309 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
NativeModifier objNative = new NativeModifier(); // line1
objNative.nativeMethod(); // line2
}
}

Notice that a static code block is used to load the library. Here, the static keyword indicates that the
library is loaded as soon as the class is loaded. This ensures that the library is available when the call to
the native method is made. The native method can be used in the same way as a non-native method. For
example, to invoke the native method nativeMethod() one can write the code as shown in line1 and
line2 of Code Snippet 1.
Native methods allow access to existing library routines created outside the JVM. However, the use of
native methods introduces two major problems. They are as follows:

Impending security risk: The native method executes actual machine code, and therefore, it can
gain access to any part of the host system. That is, the native code is not restricted to the JVM
execution environment. This may lead to a virus infection on the target system.

Loss of portability: The native code is bundled in a DLL, so that it can be loaded on the machine
on which the Java program is executing. Each native method is dependent on the CPU and the OS.
This makes the DLL inherently non-portable. This means, that a Java application using native
methods will run only on a machine in which a compatible DLL has been installed.

9.2.3 transient Modifier

When a Java application is executed, the objects are loaded in the Random Access Memory (RAM).
However, objects can also be stored in a persistent storage outside the JVM so that it can be used later. This
determines the scope and life span of an object. The process of storing an object in a persistent storage
is called serialization. For any object to be serialized, the class must implement the Serializable
interface.
However, if transient modifier is used with a variable, it will not be stored and will not become part of
Concepts

the objects persistent state. The transient modifier is useful to prevent security sensitive data from
being copied to a source in which no security mechanism has been implemented. Also, transient
modifier reduces the amount of data being serialized, improves performance, and reduces costs.

310 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

The transient modifier can only be used with instance variables. It informs the JVM not to store
the variable when the object, in which it is declared, is serialized. Thus, when the object is stored in
persistent storage, the instance variable declared as transient is not persisted. Code Snippet 2 depicts
the creation of a transient variable.
Code Snippet 2:

class Circle {
transient float PI; // transient variable that will not persist
float area; // instance variable that will persist
}

9.2.4 final Modifier

The final modifier is used when modification of a class or data member is to be restricted. The final
modifier can be used with a variable, method, and class.
A variable declared as final is a constant whose value cannot be modified. A final variable is assigned a
value at the time of declaration. A compile time error is raised if a final variable is reassigned a value in
a program after its declaration. Code Snippet 3 shows the creation of a final variable.
Code Snippet 3:

final float PI = 3.14;

The variable PI is declared final so that its value cannot be changed later.
A method declared final cannot be overridden or hidden in a Java subclass. The reason for using a final
method is to prevent subclasses from changing the meaning of the method and increase the efficiency
of code by allowing the compiler to turn method calls into inline Java code. A final method is commonly
used to generate a random constant in a mathematical application. Code Snippet 4 depicts the creation
of a final method.
Code Snippet 4:

final float getCommission(float sales){

System.out.println(A final method. . .);
}
Concepts

The method getCommission() can be used to calculate commission based on monthly sales. The
implementation of the method cannot be modified by other classes as it is declared as final. A final
method cannot be declared abstract as it cannot be overridden.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 311 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Note - abstract keyword is used with a method and class. An abstract method cannot have a body
and an abstract class cannot be instantiated and must be inherited or subclassed.
A class declared final cannot be inherited or subclassed. Such a class becomes a standard and must be
used as it is. The variables and methods of a class declared final are also implicitly final. The reason for
declaring a class as final is to limit extensibility and to prevent the modification of the class definition.
Code Snippet 5 shows the creation of a final class.
Code Snippet 5:

public final class Stock {

...
}

The class Stock is declared final. All data members within this class are implicitly final and cannot be
modified by other classes.
Code Snippet 6 demonstrates an example of creation of a final class.
Code Snippet 6:

package session9;
public class Final {
// Declare and initialize a final variable
final float PI = 3.14F; // variable to store value of PI
/**
* Displays the value of PI
*
* @param pi a float variable storing the value of PI
* @return void
*/
public void display(float pi) {
PI = pi; // generates compilation error
System.out.println(The value of PI is:+PI);
Concepts

312 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Instantiate the Final class
final Final objFinal = new Final();
// Invoke the display() method
objFinal.display(22.7F);
}
}

The class Final consists of a final float variable PI set to 3.14. The method display() is used to
set a new value passed by the user to PI . However, this leads to compilation error cannot assign a
value to final variable PI. If the user chooses to run the program anyway, the following runtime
error is issued as shown in figure 9.1.

Figure 9.1: RuntimeException

To remove the error, the method signature should be changed and the statement, PI = pi; should be
removed.

9.2.5 Rules and Best Practices for Using Field Modifiers

Some of the rules for using field modifiers are as follows:

Final fields cannot be volatile.

Concepts

Native methods in Java cannot have a body.

Declaring a transient field as static or final should be avoided as far as possible.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 313 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Native methods violate Javas platform independence characteristic. Therefore, they should not
be used frequently.

A transient variable may not be declared as final or static.

9.3 Class Variables

Consider a situation, where in a user wants to create a counter that keeps track of the number of objects
accessing a particular method. If the user creates an instance variable named counter, each object will
have a separate copy of the variable, counter. Due to this, the user cannot keep track of the number
of times a method is accessed. In such a scenario, a variable is required that can be shared among all
the objects of a class and any changes made to the variable are updated only in one common copy. Java
provides the implementation of such a concept of class variables by using the static keyword.

9.3.1 Declaring Class Variables

Class variables are also known as static variables. Note that the static variables are not constants.
Such variables are associated with the class rather than with any object. In other words, all instances
of the class share the same value of the class variable. The value of a static variable can be modified
using class methods or instance methods. However, unlike instance variable, there exists only one copy
of a class variable for all objects in one fixed location in memory. However, a static variable declared
as final becomes a constant whose value cannot be modified.
For example,

static int PI=3.14; // static variable that can be modified

static final int PI=3.14; // static constant that cannot be modified

9.3.2 Creating Static Variables, Static Methods, and Static Blocks

One can also create static methods and static initializer blocks along with static variables. Static
variables and methods can be manipulated without creating an instance of the class. This is because
there is only one copy of a static data member that is shared by all objects. A static method can only
access static variables and not instance variables.
Methods declared as static have the following restrictions:

Can invoke only static methods.

Concepts

Can access only static data.

Cannot use this or super keywords.

314 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

A static block is used to initialize static variables as soon as the class is launched. They are used
when a block of code needs to be executed during loading of the class by JVM. It is enclosed within {}
braces.
Generally, a constructor is used to initialize variables. It is the best approach as the constructor is invoked
implicitly when an object is created. However, a programmer sometime needs to create objects before
anything can be done in a program. This is because, an object is required to call an instance variable or
method.
However, instead of a constructor, a static block can be used to initialize static variables because
static block is executed even before the main() method is executed. That is, the execution of Java
code starts from static blocks and not from main() method. There can be more than one static
block in a program. They can be placed anywhere in the class. A static initialization block can reference
only those class variables that have been declared before it.
Code Snippet 7 demonstrates an example of static variables, static method, and static block.
Code Snippet 7:

package session9;
public class StaticMembers {
// Declare and initialize static variable
public static int staticCounter = 0;
// Declare and initialize instance variable
int instanceCounter = 0;
/**
* static block
*
*/
static{
System.out.println(I am a static block);
}
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 315 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

/**
* Static method
*
* @return void
*/
public static void staticMethod(){
System.out.println(I am a static method);
}
/**
* Displays the value of static and instance counters
*
* @return void
*/
public void displayCount(){
//Increment the static and instance variable
staticCounter++;
instanceCounter++;
// Print the value of static and instance variable
System.out.println(Static counter is:+ staticCounter);
System.out.println(Instance counter is:+ instanceCounter);
}

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println(I am the main method);
Concepts

// Invoke the static method using the class name

StaticMembers.staticMethod();

316 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

// Create first instance of the class

StaticMembers objStatic1 = new StaticMembers();
objStatic1.displayCount();

// Create second instance of the class

StaticMembers objStatic2 = new StaticMembers();
objStatic2.displayCount();

// Create third instance of the class

StaticMembers objStatic3 = new StaticMembers();
objStatic3.displayCount();
}
}

The class StaticMembers consists of two variables, a static variable and an instance variable. Also,
a static block and a static method have been created. The instance method displayCount() is
used to increment the value of the static and instance counters by 1 and then, display the resulting
value of both variables. In the main() method, the static method is invoked in line 1 using the class
name StaticMembers.staticMethod() instead of creating an object of the class. Next, three objects
of the class StaticMembers are created namely objStatic1, objStatic2, and objStatic3. Each
object is used to invoke the displayCount() method.
Figure 9.2 shows the output of the program.

Concepts

Figure 9.2: Output of StaticMembers.java Class

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 317 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

From figure 9.2 it is clear that the static block is executed even before the main() method. Also, the
value of static counter is incremented to 1, 2, 3, , and so on whereas the value of instance counter
remains 1 for all the objects. This is because a separate copy of the instance counter exists for each
object. Hence, every time a new object is created, the count is incremented from an initial value of 0 to
1 when the displayCount() method is invoked.
However, for the static variable, only one copy exists per class. Every object increments the same copy
of the variable, staticCounter. Therefore, when the first object increments the value of the variable
staticCounter, it is set to 1. Then, the second object increments it by 1 and the value is set to 2 and
so on.
Thus, by using a static counter, a user can keep track of the number of instances of a class.

9.4 Packages
Consider a situation where in a user has about fifty files of which some are related to sales, others are
related to accounts, and some are related to inventory. Also, the files belong to different years. All these
files are kept in one section of a cupboard. Now, when a particular file is required, the user has to search
the entire cupboard. This is very time consuming and difficult. For this purpose, the user creates separate
folders and divides the files according to the years and further groups them according to the content as
shown in figure 9.3.
Concepts

Figure 9.3: Files Organized in Specific Folders

318 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Similarly, in Java, one can organize the files using packages. A package is a namespace that groups related
classes and interfaces and organizes them as a unit. Conceptually, one can think of packages as being
similar to different folders created on a computer to store files. For example, one can keep source files in
one folder, images in another, and executables in yet another folder. Software written in Java is composed
of several classes. Therefore, it is advisable to keep the classes organized by placing related classes and
interfaces into packages.
Packages have the following features:
A package can have sub packages.

A package cannot have two members with the same name.

If a class or interface is bundled inside a package, it must be referenced using its fully qualified
name, which is the name of the Java class including its package name.

If multiple classes and interfaces are defined within a package in a single Java source file, then only
one of them can be public.
Package names are written in lowercase.

Standard packages in the Java language begin with java or javax.

9.4.1 Advantages of Using Packages

One should group the related classes and interfaces in a package for the following reasons:

One can easily determine that these classes are related.

One can know where to find the required type that can provide the required functions.

The names of classes of one package would not conflict with the class names in other packages as
the package creates a new namespace. For example, myPackage1.Sample and myPackage2.
Sample.

One can allow classes within one package to have unrestricted access to one another while
restricting access to classes outside the package.

Packages can also store hidden classes that can be used within the package, but are not visible or
accessible outside the package.
Concepts

Packages can also have classes with data members that are visible to other classes, but not
accessible outside the package.

When a program from a package is called for the first time, the entire package gets loaded into
the memory. Due to this, subsequent calls to related subprograms of the same package do not
require any further disk Input/Output (I/O).

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 319 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

9.4.2 Type of Packages

The Java platform comes with a huge class library which is a set of packages. These classes can
be used in applications by including the packages in a class. This library is known as the Application
Programming Interface (API). The packages of the API represent the most common tasks associated with
general-purpose programming. Every Java application or applet has access to the core package in the API,
the java.lang package.
For example, the String class stores the state and behavior related to character strings; the File class
allows the developer to create, delete, compare, inspect, or modify a file on the file system. Similarly, the
Socket class allows the developer to create and use network sockets, and the various Graphical User
Interface (GUI) control classes such as Button, Checkbox, and so on provide ready to use GUI controls.
There are thousands of such classes to select and use. These ready to use classes allow a programmer to
focus on the design of the application rather than on the infrastructure required to make it work.
The different types of Java packages are as follows:

Predefined packages

User-defined packages
The predefined packages are part of the Java API. Predefined packages that are commonly used are as
follows:

java.io

java.util

java.awt
The user-defined packages are created by the developers. To create user-defined packages, perform the
following steps:

1. Select an appropriate name for the package by using the following naming conventions:
Package names are usually written in all lower case to avoid conflict with the names of
classes or interfaces.
Companies usually attach their reversed Internet domain name as a prefix to their package
names. For example, com.sample.mypkg for a package named mypkg created by a
programmer at sample.com .
Concepts

Naming conflicts occurring in the projects of a single company are handled according to the
naming conventions specific to that company. This is done usually by including the region
name or the project name after the company name. For example, com.sample.myregion.
mypkg.

320 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Package names should not begin with java or javax as they are used for packages that are
part of Java API.
In certain cases, the Internet domain name may not be a valid package name. For example,
if the domain name contains special characters such as hyphen, if the package name consists
of a reserved Java keyword such as char, or if the package name begins with a digit or some
other character that is illegal to use as the beginning of a Java package name. In such a case,
it is advisable to use an underscore as shown in table 9.1.

Domain Name Suggested Package Name

sample-name.sample.org org.sample.sample_name
sample.int int_.sample
007name.sample.com com.sample._007name

Table 9.1: Package Names

2. Create a folder with the same name as the package.

3. Place the source files in the folder created for the package.

4. Add the package statement as the first line in all the source files under that package as depicted in
Code Snippet 8. Note that there can only be one package statement in a source file.
Code Snippet 8:

package session9;
class StaticMembers{
public static void main(String[] args)
{}
}

5. Save the source file StaticMembers.java in the package session9.

6. Compile the code as follows:
javac StaticMembers.java
OR
Compile the code with -d option as follows:
Concepts

javac d . StaticMembers.java
where, -d stands for directory and . stands for current directory. The command will create a
sub-folder named session9 and store the compiled class file inside it.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 321 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

7. From the parent folder of the source file, execute it using the fully qualified name as follows:
java session9.StaticMembers

Note - The CLASSPATH variable must be set to the source file directory that has the StaticDemo.java
file before executing the program. For example, set classpath=D:\session9 or CLASSPATH can
be specified while executing. For example, java cp D:\session9 session9.StaticDemo.
Java allows the user to import the classes from predefined as well as user-defined packages using an
import statement. For example, one can use the StaticMembers class created in Code Snippet 7 as
well as the built-in class ArrayList of the java.util package by importing them into another class
belonging to another package. However, the access specifiers associated with the class members will
determine if the class members can be accessed by a class of another package.
A member of a public class can be accessed outside the package by doing any of the following:

Referring to the member class by its fully qualified name, that is, package-name.class-name.

Importing the package member, that is, import package-name.class-name.

Importing the entire package, that is, import package-name.*.

To create a new package using NetBeans IDE, perform the following steps:

1. Open the project in which the package is to be created. In this case Session9 project has been
chosen.

2. Right-click Source Packages New Java Package to display the New Java Package dialog
box. For example, in figure 9.4, the project Session9 is opened and the Java Package option is
selected.
Concepts

Figure 9.4: Creating a New Java Package

322 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

3. Type userpkg in the Package Name box of the New Java Package dialog box that is displayed.

4. Click Finish. The userpkg package is created as shown in figure 9.5.

Figure 9.5: userpkg Package Created

5. Right-click userpkg and select New Java Class to add a new class to the package.

6. Type UserClass as the Class Name box of the New Java Class dialog box and click Finish.

7. Type the code in the class as depicted in Code Snippet 9.

Code Snippet 9:

package userpkg;
// Import the predefined and user-defined packages
import java.util.ArrayList;
import session9.StaticMembers;
public class UserClass {
// Instantiate ArrayList class of java.util package
ArrayList myCart = new ArrayList(); // line 1
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 323 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

/**
* Initializes an ArrayList
*
* @return void
*/
public void createList() {
// Add values to the list
myCart.add(Doll);
myCart.add(Bus);
myCart.add(Teddy);

// Print the list

System.out.println(Cart contents are:+ myCart);
}
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Instantiate the UserClass class
UserClass objUser = new UserClass();
objUser.createList(); // Invoke the createList() method

// Instantiate the StaticMembers class

StaticMembers objStatic = new StaticMembers();
objStatic.displayCount(); // Invoke the displayCount() method
}
}
Concepts

The class UserClass is defined within the package, userpkg. The two import statements namely,
java.util.ArrayList and session9.StaticMembers are used to import the packages
java.util and session9 into the UserClass class. However, only ArrayList and StaticMembers
classes are imported from the respective packages. To import all classes of the packages, one must write
the statements import java.util.* and import session9.* respectively.

324 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Next, the ArrayList is instantiated in line 1 and the createList() method is used to initialize and
display the list. In the main() method, the object of UserClass is created to invoke the createList()
method and the object of StaticMembers class is created to invoke the displayCount() method.
Figure 9.6 shows the output of the program.

Figure 9.6: Output of UserClass.java Class

Notice that the output shows the execution of the static block of StaticMembers class also. This is
because the static block is executed as soon as the class is launched.

9.4.3 Creating .jar Files for Deployment

All the source files of a Java application are bundled into a single archive file called the Java Archive (JAR).
The .jar file contains the class files and additional resources associated with the application.
The .jar file format provides several advantages as follows:

Security: The .jar file can be digitally signed so that only those users who recognize your
signature can optionally grant the software security privileges that the software might not
otherwise have.

Decrease in Download Time: The source files bundled in a .jar file can be downloaded to a
browser in a single HTTP transaction without having to open a new connection for each file.

File Compression: The .jar format compresses the files for efficient storage.

Packaging for Extensions: The extension framework in Java allows adding additional
functionality to the Java core platform. The .jar file format defines the packaging for extensions.
Java 3D and Java Mail are examples of extensions developed by Sun Microsystems. The .jar file
format allows converting the software into extensions as well.

Package Sealing: Java provides an option to seal the packages stored in the .jar files so that the
Concepts

packages can enforce version consistency. When a package is sealed within a .jar file, it implies
that all classes defined in that package must be available in the same .jar file.

Package Versioning: A .jar file can also store additional information about the files, such as
vendor and version information.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 325 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Portability: The .jar files are packaged in a ZIP file format. This enables the user to use them for
tasks such as lossless data compression, decompression, archiving, and archive unpacking.
To perform basic tasks with .jar files, one can use the Java Archive Tool. This tool is provided with the
JDK. The Java Archive Tool is invoked by using the jar command. The basic syntax for creating a .jar
file is as follows:
Syntax:
jar cf jar-file-name input-file-name(s)
where,
c: indicates that the user wants to CREATE a .jar file.
f: indicates that the output should go to a file instead of stdout.
jar-file-name: represents the name of the resulting .jar file. Any name can be used for a .jar file.
The .jar extension is provided with the file name, though it is not required.
input-file-name(s): represents a list of one or more files to be included in the .jar separated by a
space. This argument can contain the wildcard symbol * as well. If any of the input files specified is a
directory, the contents of that directory are added to the .jar recursively.
The options c and f can be used in any order, but without any space in between. The jar command
generates a compressed .jar file and places it by default in the current directory. Also, it will generate
a default manifest file for the .jar file. The metadata in the .jar file such as entry names, contents of
the manifest, and comments must be encoded in UTF8.

Note - UTF 8 is an encoding standard that represent every character in the Unicode character set.

Some of the other options, apart from cf, available with the jar command are listed in table 9.2.

Option Description
Produces VERBOSE output on stdout while the .jar is begin built.
V The output displays the name of each of the files that are included
in the .jar file.
0 (zero) Indicates that the .jar file must not be compressed.
M Indicates that the default manifest file must not be created.
Allows inclusion of manifest information from an existing manifest
file.
m
jar cmf existing-manifest-name jar-file-name
input-file-name(s)
Concepts

-c Used to change directories during execution of the command.

Table 9.2: jar Command Options

326 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

When a .jar file is created, the time of creation is stored in the .jar file. Therefore, even if the contents
of the .jar file are not changed, if the .jar file is created multiple times, the resulting files will not be
exactly identical. For this reason, it is advisable to use versioning information in the manifest file instead
of creation time, to control versions of a .jar file.
For example, consider the following files of a simple BouncingBall game application as shown in figure
9.7.

Figure 9.7: BouncingBall Application

Figure 9.7 shows the BouncingBall application with the source file BouncingBall.java, class
file BouncingBall.class, sounds directory, images directory, and Manifest.txt file. sounds
and images are subdirectories that contain the sound files and animated .gif images used in the
application.
To create a .jar of the application using command line, perform the following steps:

1. Create the directory structure as shown in figure 9.7.

2. Create a text file with the code depicted in Code Snippet 10.
Code Snippet 10:

package bounceball;
public class BouncingBall {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
Concepts

*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 327 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

public static void main(String[] args) {

System.out.println(This is the bouncing ball game);
}
}

3. Save the file as BouncingBall.java in the source package bounceball.

4. Compile the .java file at command prompt by writing the following command:
javac -d . BouncingBall.java

The command will create a subfolder with the same name bounceball and store the class file
BouncingBall.java in that directory as shown in figure 9.7.

Note - The PATH variable must be set before executing the command. For example, E:\bouncingball\
set path=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0\bin. If the class file must be stored in some
other folder, use the -cp option to specify the CLASSPATH for the class files.
5. Create a text file with the Main-class attribute as shown in figure 9.8.

Figure 9.8: Manifest.txt File

6. Save the file as Manifiest.txt in the source bounceball folder as shown in figure 9.7. The
Manifest.txt file will be referred by the Jar tool for the Main class during .jar creation. This will
inform the Jar tool about the starting point of the application.
Concepts

7. To package the application in a single .jar named BouncingBall.jar, write the following
command:
jar cvmf Manifest.txt bounceball.jar bounceball/BouncingBall.class sounds
images

328 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Note - The name of the manifest and the .jar file must be in the same order as the options m and f.

This will create a bounceball.jar file in the source folder as shown in figure 9.9.

Figure 9.9: bounceball.jar File Created in Source Folder

The command options cvmf indicate that the user wants to create a .jar file with verbose
output using the existing manifest file, Manifest.txt. The name of the output file is specified as
bounceball.jar instead of stdout. Further, the name of the class file is provided with its location as
bounceball/BouncingBall.class followed by the directory names sounds and images so
that the respective files under these directories are also included in the .jar file.

8. To execute the .jar file at command prompt, type the following command:
java -jar bounceball.jar
The command will execute the main() class of the .jar file and print the following output:
This is the bouncing ball game.
Figure 9.10 shows the entire series of steps for creation of .jar file with the verbose output and
the final output after .jar file execution.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 329 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Figure 9.10: Steps for Creation and Execution of .jar File

Since sounds and images are directories, the Jar tool will recursively place the contents in the .jar file.
The resulting .jar file BouncingBall.jar will be placed in the current directory. Also, the use of the
option v will shows the verbose output of all the files that are included in the .jar file.
In the example, the files and directories in the archive retained their relative path names and directory
structure. However, one can use the -c option to create a .jar file in which the relative paths of the
archived files will not be preserved.
For example, suppose one wants to put sound files and images used by the BouncingBall program
into a .jar file, and that all the files should be on the top level, with no directory hierarchy. One can
accomplish this by executing the following command from the parent directory of the sounds and
images directories:

jar cf SoundImages.jar -c sounds . -c images .

Here, -c sounds directs the Jar tool to the sounds directory and the . following -c sounds
directs the Jar tool to archive all the contents of that directory. Similarly, -c images . performs the
same task with the images directory. The resulting .jar file would consist of all the sound and image
files of the sounds and images folder as follows:
META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
beep.au
Concepts

failure.au
ping.au
success.au
greenball.gif

330 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

redball.gif
table.gif

However, if the following command is used without the -c option:

jar cf SoundImages.jar sounds images

The resulting .jar file would have the following contents:

META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
sounds/beep.au
sounds/failure.au
sounds/ping.au
sounds/success.au
images/greenball.gif
images/redball.gif
images/table.gif

Table 9.3 shows a list of frequently used jar command options.

Task Command
jar cf jar-file-name input-file-
To create a .jar file name(s)
To view contents of a .jar file jar tf jar-file-name
To extract contents of a .jar file jar xf jar-file-name
To run the application packaged into the .jar file. java -jar jar-file-name
Manifest.txt file is required with Main-class
header attribute.
Table 9.3: Frequently Used jar Command Options
To create a .jar file of the application using NetBeans IDE, perform the following steps:

1. Create a new package bounceball in the Session9 application.

Concepts

2. Create a new java class named BouncingBall.java within the bounceball package.

3. Type the code depicted in Code Snippet 11 in the BouncingBall class.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 331 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Code Snippet 11:

package bounceball;
public class BouncingBall {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
System.out.println(This is the bouncing ball game);
}
}

4. Set BouncingBall.java as the main class in the Run properties of the application.

5. Run the application by clicking the Run icon on the toolbar. The output will be shown in the Output
window.

6. To create the .jar file, right-click the Session9 application and select Clean and Build option as
shown in figure 9.11.
Concepts

Figure 9.11: Clean and Build an Application

7. The IDE will build the application and generate the .jar file. A message as shown in figure 9.12 will
be displayed to the user in the status bar, once .jar file generation is finished.

332 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Figure 9.12: Status Message After .jar Generation

The Clean and Build command creates a new dist folder into the application folder and places the .jar
file into it as shown in figure 9.13.

Figure 9.13: Session9.jar File

User can load this .jar file in any device that has a JVM and execute it by double-clicking the file or run
it at command prompt by writing the following command:
java jar Session9.jar

Note - If double-click does not work, right-click the .jar file and select Open With. Select the Java(TM)
Platform SE Binary as the default program for .jar files.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 333 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

9.5 Check Your Progress

1. Every Java application or applet has access to the ________ core package in the Java API.

(A) java.util (C) java.io

(B) java.lang (D) java.awt

2. Which of the following statements about the final modifier are true?

The final modifier is used when

A class declared final must be
a. modification of a class or data c.
inherited or subclassed.
member is to be restricted.
A method declared final must be A variable declared final is a constant
b. d.
overridden. whose value cannot be modified.

(A) b, c (C) a, c

(B) a, d (D) b, d

3. Match the following field and method modifiers with the corresponding description.

Modifier Description
a. volatile 1. Used with a variable, method, and class.
b. native 2. Applied only to fields.

c. final 3. Used only with instance variables

d. transient 4. Used only with methods

(A) a-3, b-2, c-4, d-1 (C) a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3

(B) a-2, b-3, c-4, d-1 (D) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2
Concepts

334 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

4. Which of the following option represents the correct command for generating a .jar file using an
existing manifest file and displaying a verbose output? (Assumption: jar file - MyJar.jar,
Manifest file - Manifest.txt, class file - MyClass.class, package - mypkg).

(A) jar cvfm Manifest.txt MyJar.jar mypkg/MyClass.class

(B) jar cfvm Manifest.txt MyJar.jar mypkg/MyClass.class
(C) jar cvmf Manifest.txt MyJar.jar mypkg/MyClass.class
(D) jar cmf Manifest.txt MyJar.jar mypkg/MyClass.class

5. Consider the following code to check the number of users logged in to a system:
package myPkg;
public class UserLogin{
public int userNo=0; // line 1
public void displayUserCount(){
userNo++;
System.out.println(User number is:+ userNo);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
UserLogin objUser1 = new UserLogin();
objUser1.displayUserCount();
UserLogin objUser2 = new UserLogin();
objUser2.displayUserCount();
}
}

The code is executing properly without any error. However, the value of variable, userNo is
displaying 1 for every new object that is created. What change must be made in line 1 to ensure
that the userNo is incremented when a new object is created? (Assumption: The program is not
using multiple threads.)
public transient int public volatile int
(A) userNo=0; (C) userNo=0;
Concepts

(B) public final int userNo=0; (D) public static int userNo=0;

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 335 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

6. Identify the correct command to execute the .jar file myJar.jar at the command prompt.

(A) jar myJar.jar (C) javac jar myJar.jar

(B) java jar myJar.jar (D) java jar myJar
Concepts

336 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

9.5.1 Answers
1. B
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. D
6. B

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 337 of 456

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Summary
Field and method modifiers are used to identify fields and methods that have controlled access to
users.
The volatile modifier allows the content of a variable to be synchronized across all running
threads.
A thread is an independent path of execution within a program.
The native modifier indicates that the implementation of the method is in a language other than
Java such as C or C++.
The transient modifier can only be used with instance variables. It informs the JVM not to store
the variable when the object, in which it is declared, is serialized.
The final modifier is used when modification of a class or data member is to be restricted.
Class variables are also known as static variables and there exists only one copy of that variable
for all objects.
A package is a namespace that groups related classes and interfaces and organizes them as a unit.
All the source files of a Java application are bundled into a single archive file called the Java
Archive (JAR).
Concepts

338 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 9
Session Modifiers and Packages

Try it Yourself
1. SmartDesigns is a well-known company of architects situated in Chicago, Illinois. Currently, the
management is hiring IT professionals to automate the tasks performed in the company such as
drawing, animation, and calculation of dimensions by developing a software application in Java. For
this purpose, the company has organized technical interviews for aspiring developers. As one of the
candidates, you have been assigned the following tasks:
Create a program to calculate area of shapes such as circle and square.
Specify an appropriate package name to store the source file and class file.
The value for shape must be taken from the user along with the value for radius or length
according to the shape.
If a user does not provide any value, appropriate message must be displayed to the user.
If a user specifies necessary values, calculate the area of the specified shape.
Display the output as follows:
User Number:
Shape:
Value of radius/length:
Calculated Area:
The user number must be incremented with every user that runs the program.
Package the files into a .jar file. (Either by using command prompt or by NetBeans IDE).
Execute the .jar file at command prompt.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 339 of 456



Democritus said, words are but the
shadows of actions
 Session - 10
Inheritance and Polymorphism
Welcome to the Session, Inheritance and Polymorphism.

This session explains the concept of inheritance and the types of inheritance
in Java, creation of super class and subclass as well as the use of super
keyword. Further, the session describes the concepts of method overriding
and polymorphism, static and dynamic binding, and virtual method
invocation. Lastly, the session explains the use of abstract keyword.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Describe inheritance

Explain the types of inheritance

Explain super class and subclass

Explain the use of super keyword

Explain method overriding

Describe Polymorphism

Differentiate type of reference and type of objects

Explain static and dynamic binding

Explain virtual method invocation

Explain the use of abstract keyword

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

10.1 Introduction
Consider a situation where in a student is developing an online Website showing the food habits of
the different animals on the earth. While designing and developing the online food Website, the
student realizes that there are many animals and birds that eat the same type of food and have similar
characteristics. The child groups of all the animals that eat plants are known as herbivores, those that eat
animals are known as carnivores, and those that eat both plants and animals are known as omnivores.
This kind of grouping or classification of things is called subclassing and the child groups are known
as subclasses. Similarly, Java provides the concept of inheritance for creating subclasses of a particular
class.
Also, animals such as chameleon change their color based on the environment. Human beings also play
different roles in their daily life such as father, son, husband, and so on. This means, that they behave
differently in different situations. Similarly, Java provides a feature called polymorphism in which objects
behave differently based on the context in which they are used.

10.2 Inheritance
In daily life, one often comes across objects that share a kind-of or is-a relationship with each other.
For example, Car is-a four-wheeler, a four-wheeler is-a vehicle, and a vehicle is-a machine. Similarly,
many other objects can be identified having such relationship. All such objects have properties that are
common. For example, all four wheelers have wipers and a rear view mirror. All vehicles have a vehicle
number, wheels, and engine irrespective of a four-wheeler or two-wheeler.
Figure 10.1 shows some examples of is-a relationship.
Concepts

Figure 10.1: Is-a Relationship Between Real World Entities

Figure 10.1 shows is-a relationship between different objects. For example, Deer is-a herbivore and a
herbivore is-a animal. The common properties of all herbivores can be stored in class herbivore. Similarly,
common properties of all types of animals such as herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore can be stored in
the Animal class.

342 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Thus, the class Animal becomes the top-level class from which the other classes such as Herbivore,
Carnivore, and Omnivore inherit properties and behavior. And the classes Deer, Horse, Lion, and so on
inherit properties from the classes Herbivore, Carnivore, and so on.
This is called inheritance. Thus, inheritance in Java is a feature through which classes can be derived from
other classes and inherit fields and methods from those classes.

10.2.1 Features and Terminologies

In Java, while implementing inheritance, the class that is derived from another class is called a subclass,
derived class, child class, or extended class. The class from which the subclass is derived is called a super
class, base class, or parent class.

The concept of inheritance is simple but powerful in that, it allows creating a new class from an existing
class that already has some of the code required. The new class derived from the existing class can reuse
the fields and methods of the existing class without having to re-write or debug the code again.

A subclass inherits all the members such as fields, nested classes, and methods from its super class except
those with private access specifier. However, constructors of a class are not considered as members of a
class and are not inherited by subclasses. The child class can however invoke the constructor of the super
class from its own constructor.

Members having default accessibility in the super class are not inherited by subclasses of other packages.
These members can only be accessed by subclasses within the same package as the super class. The
subclass will have its own specific characteristics along with those inherited from the super class.

There are several types of inheritance as shown in figure 10.2.

Figure 10.2: Types of Inheritance in Java

Concepts

The different types of inheritance in Java are as follows:

Single Inheritance: When a child class inherits from one and only one parent class, it is called
single inheritance. In figure 10.2, class B inherits from a single class A.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 343 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Multilevel Inheritance: When a child class derives from a parent that itself is a child of another
class, it is called multilevel inheritance. In figure 10.2, class C derives from class B which is derived
from class A.

Hierarchical Inheritance: When a parent class has more than one child classes at different levels,
it is called hierarchical inheritance. In figure 10.2, class C is derived from class B and classes B and
D is derived from class A.

Multiple Inheritance: When a child class derives from more than one parent class, it is called
multiple inheritance. Java does not support multiple inheritance. This means, a class in Java cannot
inherit from more than one parent class. However, Java provides a workaround to this feature in
the form of interfaces. Using interfaces, one can simulate inheritance by implementing more than
one interface in a class.

10.2.2 Working with Super class and Subclass

Within a subclass, one can use the inherited members as is, hide them, replace them, or enhance them
with new members as follows:

The inherited members, including fields and methods, can be directly used just like any other
fields.

One can declare a field with the same name in the subclass as the one in the super class. This will
lead to hiding of super class field which is not advisable.

One can declare new fields in the subclass that are not present in the super class. These members
will be specific to the subclass.

One can write a new instance method with the same signature in the subclass as the one in the
super class. This is called method overriding.

A new static method can be created in the subclass with the same signature as the one in the
super class. This will lead to hiding of the super class method.

One can declare new methods in the subclass that are not present in the super class.

A subclass constructor can be used to invoke the constructor of the super class, either implicitly or
Concepts

by using the keyword super.

The extends keyword is used to create a subclass. A class can be directly derived from only one class. If
a class does not have any super class, it is implicitly derived from Object class. The syntax for creating a
subclass is as follows:

344 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Syntax:
public class <class1-name> extends <class2-name>
{


}
where,
class1-name: Specifies the name of the child class.
class2-name: Specifies the name of the parent class.
Code Snippet 1 demonstrates the creation of super class Vehicle.
Code Snippet 1:

package session10;
public class Vehicle {
// Declare common attributes of a vehicle
protected String vehicleNo; // Variable to store vehicle number
protected String vehicleName; // Variable to store vehicle name
protected int wheels; // Variable to store number of wheels

/**
* Accelerates the vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
public void accelerate(int speed) {
System.out.println(Accelerating at:+ speed + kmph);
}
}
Concepts

The parent class Vehicle consists of common attributes of a vehicle such as vehicleNo, vehicleName,
and wheels. Also, it consists of a common behavior of a vehicle, that is, accelerate() that prints the
speed at which the vehicle is accelerating.
Code Snippet 2 demonstrates the creation of subclass FourWheeler.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 345 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Code Snippet 2:

package session10;
class FourWheeler extends Vehicle{

// Declare a field specific to child class

private boolean powerSteer; // Variable to store steering information

/**
* Parameterized constructor to initialize values based on user input
*
* @param vID a String variable storing vehicle ID
* @param vName a String variable storing vehicle name
* @param numWheels an integer variable storing number of wheels
* @param pSteer a String variable storing steering information
*/
public FourWheeler(String vId, String vName, int numWheels, boolean pSteer){
// Attributes inherited from parent class
vehicleNo = vId;
vehicleName = vName;
wheels = numWheels;
// Child class own attribute
powerSteer = pSteer;
}

/**
* Displays vehicle details
*
Concepts

* @return void
*/

346 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

public void showDetails() {

System.out.println(Vehicle no:+ vehicleNo);
System.out.println(Vehicle Name:+ vehicleName);
System.out.println(Number of Wheels:+ wheels);

if(powerSteer == true)
System.out.println(Power Steering:Yes);
else
System.out.println(Power Steering:No);
}
}
/**
* Define the TestVehicle.java class
*/
public class TestVehicle {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Create an object of child class and specify the values
FourWheeler objFour = new FourWheeler(LA-09 CS-1406, Volkswagen, 4, true);
objFour.showDetails(); // Invoke the child class method
objFour.accelerate(200); // Invoke the inherited method
}
}

Code Snippet 2 depicts the child class FourWheeler with its own attribute powerSteer. The values
for the inherited attributes and its own attribute are specified in the constructor. The showDetails()
method is used to display all the details.
Concepts

The class TestVehicle consists of the main() method. In the main() method, the object objFour
of child class is created and the parameterized constructor is invoked by passing appropriate arguments.
Next, the showDetails() method is invoked to print the details. Also, the child class object is used
to invoke the accelerate() method inherited from parent class and the value of speed is passed as
argument.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 347 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Figure 10.3 shows the output of the program.

Figure 10.3: Output of FourWheeler.java Class

From Code Snippet 2 it is clear that one can access the protected and public members of a parent
class directly within the child class due to inheritance.

10.2.3 Overriding Methods

Java allows creation of an instance method in a subclass having the same signature and return type as an
instance method of the super class. This is called method overriding. Method overriding allows a class to
inherit behavior from a super class and then, to modify the behavior as needed.
Rules to remember when overriding:

The overriding method must have the same name, type, and number of arguments as well as
return type as the super class method.

An overriding method cannot have a weaker access specifier than the access specifier of the super
class method.
The accelerate() method in Code Snippet 1 can be overridden in the subclass as shown in Code
Snippet 3. The modified code is demonstrated in Code Snippet 3.
Code Snippet 3:

package session10;
class FourWheeler extends Vehicle{
// Declare a field specific to child class
private boolean powerSteer; // Variable to store steering information
Concepts

/**
* Parameterized constructor to initialize values based on user input
*
* @param vID a String variable storing vehicle ID

348 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

* @param vName a String variable storing vehicle name

* @param numWheels an integer variable storing number of wheels
* @param pSteer a String variable storing steering information
*/
public FourWheeler(String vId, String vName, int numWheels, boolean pSteer){
// attributes inherited from parent class
vehicleNo=vId;
vehicleName=vName;
wheels=numWheels;

// child class own attribute

powerSteer=pSteer;
}

/**
* Displays vehicle details
*
* @return void
*/
public void showDetails() {
System.out.println(Vehicle no:+ vehicleNo);
System.out.println(Vehicle Name:+ vehicleName);
System.out.println(Number of Wheels:+ wheels);

if(powerSteer==true){
System.out.println(Power Steering:Yes);
else
Concepts

System.out.println(Power Steering:No);
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 349 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

/**
* Overridden method
* Accelerates the vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void accelerate(int speed) {
System.out.println(Maximum acceleration:+ speed + kmph);
}
}

/**
* Define the TestVehicle.java class
*/
public class TestVehicle {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Create an object of child class and specify the values
FourWheeler objFour = new FourWheeler(LA-09 CS-1406, Volkswagen, 4, true);
objFour.showDetails(); // Invoke child class method
objFour.accelerate(200); // Invoke inherited method
}
}

The accelerate() method is overridden in the child class with the same signature and return type but
Concepts

with a modified message. Notice the use of @Override on top of the method. This is an annotation that
instructs the compiler that the method that follows is overridden from the parent class. If the compiler
detects that such a method does not exist in the super class, it will generate compilation error.

Note - Annotations provide additional information about a program. Annotations have no direct effect
on the functioning of the code they annotate.

350 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Figure 10.4 shows the output of Code Snippet 3.

Figure 10.4: Output of FourWheeler.java Class after Overriding

Notice that the accelerate() method now prints the message specified in the subclass. This means that
a call to the accelerate() method using the subclass object objFour.accelerate() first searches
for the method in the same class. Since the accelerate() method is overridden in the subclass, it
invokes the subclass version of the accelerate() method and not the super class accelerate()
method.

10.2.4 Accessing Super class Constructor and Methods

In Code Snippet 3, the subclass constructor is used to initialize the values of the common attributes
inherited from the super class Vehicle. However, this is not the correct approach because all the
subclasses of the Vehicle class will have to initialize the values of common attributes every time in
their constructors.
This duplication of code is not only inefficient but also implies that to use these members, a subclass
is granted direct access to them. However, in certain cases, the user might want to keep the data
members present in a super class private. In such a case, the subclass would not be able to access the
members directly nor initialize these variables on its own. Java provides a solution by allowing the
subclass to invoke the super class constructor and methods using the keyword super. For example,
super.member-name where member may be a method or an instance variable. The use of super
keyword is extremely helpful when member names of subclass hide the members existing by the same
name in the super class.
Also, notice that when the accelerate() method is overridden in the subclass, the statement(s) written
in the accelerate() method of the super class, Vehicle, are not printed.
To address these issues, one can use the super keyword to invoke the super class method using
super.method-name() and the super() method to invoke the super class constructors from the
subclass constructors.
Code Snippet 4 demonstrates the modified super class Vehicle.java using a parameterized
Concepts

constructor.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 351 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Code Snippet 4:

package session10;
class Vehicle {
protected String vehicleNo; // Variable to store vehicle number
protected String vehicleName; // Variable to store vehicle name
protected int wheels; // Variable to store number of wheels

/**
* Parameterized constructor to initialize values based on user input
*
* @param vId a String variable storing vehicle ID
* @param vName a String variable storing vehicle name
* @param numWheels an integer variable storing number of wheels
*/
public Vehicle(String vId, String vName, int numWheels){
vehicleNo=vId;
vehicleName=vName;
wheels=numWheels;
}
/**
* Accelerates the vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
public void accelerate(int speed){
System.out.println(Accelerating at:+ speed + kmph);
}
Concepts

Code Snippet 4 demonstrates the use of parameterized constructor in Vehicle class for initializing the
common attributes of a vehicle.
Code Snippet 5 depicts the modified subclass FourWheeler.java using the super keyword to invoke
super class constructor and methods.

352 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Code Snippet 5:

package session10;
class FourWheeler extends Vehicle{
private boolean powerSteer; // Variable to store steering information
/**
* Parameterized constructor to initialize values based on user input
*
* @param vID a String variable storing vehicle ID
* @param vName a String variable storing vehicle name
* @param numWheels an integer variable storing number of wheels
* @param pSteer a String variable storing steering information
*/
public FourWheeler(String vId, String vName, int numWheels, boolean pSteer){
// Invoke the super class constructor
super(vId,vName,numWheels);
powerSteer=pSteer;
}

/**
* Displays vehicle details
*
* @return void
*/
public void showDetails(){
System.out.println(Vehicle no:+ vehicleNo);
System.out.println(Vehicle Name:+ vehicleName);
System.out.println(Number of Wheels:+ wheels);
Concepts

if(powerSteer==true){
System.out.println(Power Steering:Yes);
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 353 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

else{
System.out.println(Power Stearing:No);
}
/**
* Overridden method
* Displays the acceleration details of the vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void accelerate(int speed){
// Invoke the super class accelerate() method
super.accelerate(speed);
System.out.println(Maximum acceleration:+ speed + kmph);
}
}
/**
* Define the TestVehicle.java class
*/
public class TestVehicle {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args){
FourWheeler objFour = new FourWheeler(LA-09 CS-1406, Volkswagen, 4, true);
objFour.showDetails();
objFour.accelerate(200);
Concepts

}
}

Code Snippet 5 depicts the use of super() to call the super class constructor from the child class
constructor. Similarly, the super.accelerate() statement is used to invoke the super class
accelerate() method from the child class.

354 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Figure 10.5 shows the output of Code Snippet 6.

Figure 10.5: Output of FourWheeler.java Class After Using super Keyword

Notice that the output displays the statements of both accelerate() methods, that is, of super class
as well as subclass. Also, the arguments for the members inherited from super class where passed to the
subclass constructor. However, the values were passed to the super class constructor using super()
and therefore, super class members were initialized in the super class constructor. Now, every subclass
of Vehicle class need not write code for initializing the common attributes of a vehicle. Instead, it can
pass the values to the super class constructor by using super().

10.3 Polymorphism
The word polymorph is a combination of two words namely, poly which means many and morph which
means forms. Thus, polymorph refers to an object that can have many different forms. This principle
can also be applied to subclasses of a class that can define their own specific behaviors as well as derive
some of the similar functionality of the super class. The concept of method overriding is an example of
polymorphism in object-oriented programming in which the same method behaves in a different manner
in super class and in subclass.

10.3.1 Understanding Static and Dynamic Binding

When the compiler resolves the binding of methods and method calls at compile time, it is called static
binding or early binding. If the compiler resolves the method calls and the binding at runtime, it is called
dynamic binding or late binding. All static method calls are resolved at compile time and therefore, static
binding is done for all static method calls. The instance method calls are always resolved at runtime.
Static methods are class methods and are accessed using the class name itself. The use of static
methods is encouraged because object references are not required to access them and therefore, static
method calls are resolved during compile time itself. This is also the reason why static methods are
not overridden.
Concepts

Similarly, Java does not allow polymorphic behavior of variables of a class. Therefore, access to all the
variables also follows static binding.
Some important differences between static and dynamic binding are listed in table 10.1.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 355 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Static Binding Dynamic Binding

Static binding occurs at compile time. Dynamic binding occurs at runtime.
Private, static, and final methods and Virtual methods are bounded at runtime based upon
variables use static binding and are bounded the runtime object.
by compiler.
Static binding uses object type information Dynamic binding uses reference type to resolve
for binding. That is, the type of class. binding.
Overloaded methods are bounded using Overridden methods are bounded using dynamic
static binding. binding.
Table 10.1: Static v/s Dynamic Binding
Code Snippet 6 demonstrates an example of static binding.
Code Snippet 6:

package session10;
class Employee {
String empId; // Variable to store employee ID
String empName; // Variable to store employee name
int salary; // Variable to store salary
float commission; // Variable to store commission

/**
* Parameterized constructor to initialize the variables
*
* @param id a String variable storing employee id
* @param name a String variable storing employee name
* @param sal an integer variable storing salary
*
*/
public Employee(String id, String name, int sal) {
Concepts

empId=id;
empName=name;
salary=sal;
}

356 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

/**
* Calculates commission based on sales value
* @param sales a float variable storing sales value
*
* @return void
*/
public void calcCommission(float sales){
if(sales > 10000)
commission = salary * 20 / 100;
else
commission=0;
}
/**
* Overloaded method. Calculates commission based on overtime
* @param overtime an integer variable storing overtime hours
*
* @return void
*/
public void calcCommission(int overtime){
if(overtime > 8)
commission = salary/30;
else
commission = 0;
}
/**
* Displays employee details
*
Concepts

* @return void
*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 357 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

public void displayDetails(){

System.out.println(Employee ID:+empId);
System.out.println(Employee Name:+empName);
System.out.println(Salary:+salary);
System.out.println(Commission:+commission);
}
}
/**
* Define the EmployeeDetails.java class
*/
public class EmployeeDetails {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
// Instantiate the Employee class object
Employee objEmp = new Employee(E001,Maria Nemeth, 40000);

// Invoke the calcCommission() with float argument

objEmp.calcCommission(20000F);

objEmp.displayDetails(); // Print the employee details

}
}

Code Snippet 6 depicts a class Employee with four member variables. The constructor is used to initialize
the member variables with the received values. The class consists of two calcCommission() methods.
The first method calculates commission based on the sales done by the employee and the other based
Concepts

on the number of hours the employee worked overtime. The displayDetails() method is used to
print the details of the employee.
Another class EmployeeDetails is created with the main() method. Inside the main() method, object
objEmp of class Employee is created and the parameterized constructor is invoked with appropriate
arguments. Next, the calcCommission() method is invoked with a float argument 20000F.

358 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

In the example, when the calcCommission() method is executed, the method with float argument
gets invoked because it was bounded during compile time based on the type of variable, that is, float.
Lastly, displayDetails() method is invoked to print the details of the employee.
Figure 10.6 shows the output of the code.

Figure 10.6: Using Static Binding

Now, consider the class hierarchy shown in figure 10.7.

Figure 10.7: Single Inheritance Between Employee and PartTimeEmployee

Code Snippet 7 demonstrates an example of dynamic binding.
Code Snippet 7:

package session10;
class PartTimeEmployee extends Employee{
// Subclass specific variable
String shift; // Variable to store shift information
/**
* Parameterized constructor to initialize values based on user input
*
* @param id a String variable storing employee ID
Concepts

* @param name a String variable storing employee name

* @param sal an integer variable storing salary
* @param shift a String variable storing shift information
*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 359 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

public PartTimeEmployee(String id, String name, int sal, String shift)

{
// Invoke the super class constructor
super(id, name, sal);
this.shift=shift;
}
/**
* Overridden method to display employee details
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void displayDetails(){
calcCommission(12); // Invoke the inherited method
super.displayDetails(); // Invoke the super class display method
System.out.println(Working shift:+shift);
}
}
/**
* Modified EmployeeDetails.java
*/
public class EmployeeDetails {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
Concepts

// Instantiate the Employee class object

Employee objEmp = new Employee(E001,Maria Nemeth, 40000);

360 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

objEmp.calcCommission(20000F); // Calculate commission

objEmp.displayDetails(); // Print the details
System.out.println(-------------------------);
// Instantiate the Employee object as PartTimeEmployee
Employee objEmp1 = new PartTimeEmployee(E002, Rob Smith, 30000, Day);
objEmp1.displayDetails(); // Print the details
}
}

Code Snippet 7 displays the PartTimeEmployee class that is inherited from the Employee class created
earlier. The class has its own variable called shift which indicates the day or night shift for an employee.
The constructor of PartTimeEmployee class calls the super class constructor using the super keyword
to initialize the common attributes of an employee. Also, it initializes the shift variable.

The subclass overrides the displayDetails() method. Within the overridden method, the
calcCommission() method is invoked with an integer argument. This will calculate commission based
on overtime. Next, the super class displayDetails() method is invoked to display the basic details of
the employee as well as the shift details.

The EmployeeDetails class is modified to create another object objEmp1 of class Employee. However,
the object is assigned the reference of class PartTimeEmployee and the constructor is invoked with
four arguments. Next, the displayDetails() method is invoked to print the employee details.
Figure 10.8 shows the output of the code.

Concepts

Figure 10.8: Using Dynamic Binding

Notice that the output of employee E002 shows the details of shift variable also. This indicates that
the displayDetails() method of the subclass PartTimeEmployee was invoked even though the
type of object for objEmp1 was Employee. This is because, during creation it stored the reference of
PartTimeEmployee class.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 361 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

This is dynamic binding, that is, the method call is bound to the object at runtime based on the reference
assigned to the object.

10.3.2 Differentiate Type of Reference and Type of Object

In Code Snippet 7, type of object of objEmp1 is Employee. This means that the object will have all
characteristics of an Employee. However, the reference assigned to the object was of PartTimeEmployee.
This means that the object will bind with the members of PartTimeEmployee class during runtime.
That is, object type is Employee and reference type is PartTimeEmployee. This is possible only when
the classes are related with a parent-child relationship.
Java allows casting an instance of a subclass to its parent class. This is known as upcasting.
For example,
PartTimeEmployee objPT = new PartTimeEmployee();
Employee objEmp = objPT; // upcasting
While upcasting a child object, the child object objPT is directly assigned to the parent class object
objEmp. However, the parent object cannot access the members that are specific to the child class and
not available in the parent class.
Java also allows casting the parent reference back to the child type. This is because parent references an
object of type child. Casting a parent object to child type is called downcasting because an object is being
casted to a class lower down in the inheritance hierarchy. However, downcasting requires explicit type
casting by specifying the child class name in brackets.
For example,
PartTimeEmployee objPT1 = (PartTimeEmployee) objEmp; // downcasting

10.3.3 Invocation of Virtual Method

In Code Snippet 7, during execution of the statement Employee objEmp1= new PartTimeEmployee(),
the runtime type of the Employee object is determined. The compiler does not generate error because
the Employee class has a displayDetails() method. At runtime, the method executed is referenced
from the PartTimeEmployee object. This aspect of polymorphism is called virtual method invocation.
The difference here is between the compiler and the runtime behavior. The compiler checks the
accessibility of each method and field based on the class definition whereas the behavior associated
with an object is determined at runtime.
This is an important aspect of polymorphism wherein the behavior of the object is determined at runtime
Concepts

based on the reference passed to it.

Since the object created was of PartTimeEmployee, the displayDetails() method of
PartTimeEmployee is invoked even though the object type is Employee. This is referred to as virtual
method invocation and the method is referred to as virtual method.

362 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

In Java, all methods behave in this manner, whereby a method overridden in the child class is invoked at
run time irrespective of the type of reference used in the source code at compile time. In other languages
such as C++, the same can be achieved by using the keyword virtual.

10.4 Using the abstract Keyword

While implementing inheritance, it can be seen that one can create object of parent class as well as child
class. However, what if the user wants to restrict direct use of the parent class? That is, in some cases,
one might want to define a super class that declares the structure of a given entity without giving a
complete implementation of every method. Such a super class serves as a generalized form that will be
inherited by all of its subclasses. The methods of the super class serve as a contract or a standard that the
subclass can implement in its own way. Java provides the abstract keyword to accomplish this task.
Thus, an abstract method is one that is declared with the abstract keyword and is without an
implementation, that is, without any body. The abstract method does not contain any {} brackets and
ends with a semicolon. The syntax for declaring an abstract method is as follows:
Syntax:

abstract <return-type> <method-name> (<parameter-list>);

where,
abstract: Indicates that the method is an abstract method.
For example,
public abstract void calculate();
An abstract class is one that consists of abstract methods. Abstract class serves as a framework
that provides certain behavior for other classes. The subclass provides the requirement-specific behavior
of the existing framework. Abstract classes cannot be instantiated and they must be subclassed to
use the class members. The subclass provides implementations for the abstract methods in its parent
class. The syntax for declaring an abstract class is as follows:
Syntax:
abstract class <class-name>
{
// declare fields
// define concrete methods
Concepts

[abstract <return-type> <method-name>(<parameter-list>);]

}
where,
abstract: Indicates that the class and method are abstract.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 363 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

For example,
public abstract Calculator
{
public float getPI(){ // Define a concrete method
return 3.14F;
}
abstract void Calculate(); // Declare an abstract method
}
Consider the class hierarchy as shown in figure 10.9.

Figure 10.9: Using Abstract Class

Code Snippet 8 demonstrates creation of abstract class and abstract method.
Code Snippet 8:

package session10;
abstract class Shape {
private final float PI = 3.14F; // Variable to store value of PPI

/**
* Returns the value of PI
*
* @return float
*/
public float getPI(){
return PI;
Concepts

364 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

/**
* Abstract method
* @param val a float variable storing the value specified by user
*
* @return float
*/
abstract void calculate(float val);
}

The class Shape is an abstract class with one concrete method getPI() and one abstract method
calculate().
To use the abstract class, one needs to create subclasses. Code Snippet 9 demonstrates two subclasses
Circle and Rectangle inheriting the Shape class.
Code Snippet 9:

package session10;
/**
* Define the child class Circle.java
*/
class Circle extends Shape{
float area; // Variable to store area of a circle
/**
* Implement the abstract method to calculate area of circle
*
* @param rad a float variable storing value of radius
* @return void
*/
@Override
void calculate(float rad){
Concepts

area = getPI() * rad * rad;

System.out.println(Area of circle is:+ area);
}
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 365 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

/**
* Define the child class Rectangle.java
*/
class Rectangle extends Shape{
float perimeter; // Variable to store perimeter value
float length=10; // Variable to store length
/**
* Implement the abstract method to calculate the perimeter
*
* @param width a float variable storing width
* @return void
*/
@Override
void calculate(float width){
perimeter = 2 * (length+width);
System.out.println(Perimeter of the Rectangle is:+ perimeter);
}
}

The class Circle implements the abstract method calculate() to calculate the area of a circle.
Similarly, the class Rectangle implements the abstract method calculate() to calculate the
perimeter of a rectangle.
Code Snippet 10 depicts the code for Calculator class that uses the subclasses based on user input.
Code Snippet 10:

package session10;
public class Calculator {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
Concepts

*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
Shape objShape; // Declare the Shape object
String shape; // Variable to store the type of shape

366 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

if(args.length==2) { // Check the number of command line arguments

//Retrieve the value of shape from args[0]
shape = args[0].toLowerCase(); // converting to lower case
switch(shape){
// Assign reference to Shape object as per user input
case circle: objShape = new Circle();
objShape.calculate(Float.parseFloat(args[1]));
break;
case rectangle: objShape = new Rectangle();
objShape.calculate(Float.parseFloat(args[1]));
break;
}
}
else{
// Error message to be displayed when arguments are not supplied
System.out.println(Usage: java Calculator <shape-name> <value>);
}
}
}

The class Calculator takes two arguments from the user at command line namely, the shape and
the value for the shape. Notice the Shape class object objShape. It was mentioned earlier that an
abstract class cannot be instantiated. That is, one cannot write Shape objShape = new Shape().
However, an abstract class can be assigned a reference of its subclasses.
The statement args.length checks the number of arguments supplied by the user. If the length is 2,
the value for shape is extracted from the first argument args[0] and stored in the shape variable. Next,
the switch statement evaluates the value of shape variable and accordingly assigns the reference of
the appropriate shape to the objShape object. For example, if shape is circle, it assigns new Circle()
as the reference. Then, using the object objShape, the calculate() method is invoked for the
referenced subclass.
Concepts

To execute the example at command line, write the following command:

java Calculator Rectangle 12
Note that the word Circle can be in any case. Within the code, it will be converted to lowercase.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 367 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

To execute the example in NetBeans IDE, type the arguments in the Arguments box of Run property as
shown in figure 10.10.

Figure 10.10: Setting Command Line Arguments

Figure 10.11 shows the output of the code after execution.

Figure 10.11: Output of Calculator.java Class

Notice that the output shows the perimeter of a rectangle. This is because the first command line
argument was Rectangle. Therefore, within the main()method, the switch case for rectangle got
executed.
Similarly, one can inherit several other classes from the abstract class Shape and implement the
calculate() method as required.

Concepts

368 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

10.5 Check Your Progress

1. ________ keyword is used to access parent class constructor and methods from child class.

(A) virtual (C) super

(B) extends (D) base

2. Which of the following statements about the static and dynamic binding are true?

Private, static, and final methods

Overridden methods are bounded
a. c. and variables use static binding and
using static binding.
are bounded by compiler.
Static binding occurs at compile Virtual methods are bounded at
b. time and dynamic binding occurs d. compile time based upon the runtime
at runtime. object.

(A) a, c (C) b, d

(B) b, c (D) a, d

3. Match the following inheritance type with the corresponding description.

Inheritance Type Description

A child class derives from more than one parent
a. Hierarchical 1.
class
A parent class has more than one child classes at
b. Single 2.
different levels
A child class derives from a parent that itself is a
c. Multiple 3.
child of another class
A child class inherits from one and only one parent
d. Multilevel 4.
class

(A) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1 (C) a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3
Concepts

(B) a-2, b-3, c-4, d-1 (D) a-4, b-1, c-3, d-2

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 369 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

4. Consider the following code:

class Furniture
{
String ID;
float price;
public Furniture(String ID, float price){
this.ID = ID;
this.price = price;
}
public void displayDetails() {
System.out.println(ID: +ID);
System.out.println(Price: +price);
}
}

public class Table extends Furniture

{
String type;

public Table(String ID, float price, String type) {

super(ID,price);
this.type = type;
}
Concepts

370 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

public void displayDetails(){

super.displayDetails();
System.out.println(Type: +type);
}

public static void main(String[] args){

Furniture obj = new Table(F001 , 2000F, Wooden );

obj.displayDetails();
}
}

What will be the output of the code?

ID: F001
ID: F001
(A) (C) Price: 2000
Price: 2000
Type: Wooden
(B) Compilation Error (D) Runtime Error

5. Consider the following code: (Assumption: Super class Vehicle and Subclass Car)
Car objCar = new Car();
Vehicle objVehicle = objCar;

Which concept of object-oriented programming is used in the code?

(A) Downcasting (C) Abstraction

(B) Overriding (D) Upcasting
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 371 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

6. Consider the following code:

class Animal
{ }
class Herbivore extends Animal
{ }
class Deer extends Herbivore
{ }

Which type of inheritance is used in the code?

(A) Single (C) Multiple

(B) Multilevel (D) Hierarchical
Concepts

372 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

10.5.1 Answers
1. C
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. D
6. B

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 373 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Summary
Inheritance is a feature in Java through which classes can be derived from other classes and inherit
fields and methods from classes it is inheriting.

The class that is derived from another class is called a subclass, derived class, child class, or
extended class. The class from which the subclass is derived is called a super class.

Creation of an instance method in a subclass having the same signature and return type as an
instance method of the super class is called method overriding.

Polymorphism refers to an object that can have many different forms.

When the compiler resolves the binding of methods and method calls at compile time, it is called
static binding or early binding. If the compiler resolves the method calls and the binding at
runtime, it is called dynamic binding or late binding.

An abstract method is one that is declared with the abstract keyword without an implementation,
that is, without any body.

An abstract class is one that consists of abstract methods and serves as a framework that provides
certain pre-defined behavior for other classes that can be modified later as per the requirement
of the inheriting class.
Concepts

374 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Try it Yourself
1. ITQuest.com is a well-known online IT training company based in Los Angeles, USA. The company
organizes online code competitions every year. Thousands of IT whiz kids participate in the
competition to test their IT skills. The winner(s) is awarded with a 1 year scholarship and free training
in the subject of his choice in the IT institutes affiliated with the company. This year, the competition
is on Java and the following code has been posted online for the participants.
package session10;
public class TwoWheeler {
String vehicleId;
String type;
int wheels;
float price;
public TwoWheeler(String vId, String vType, int tyres, float rate)
{
vehicleId=vId;
type=vType;
wheels=tyres;
price=rate;
}
public void printDetails(){

System.out.println(Bicycle Id: +vehicleId);

System.out.println(Bicycle Type: +type);
System.out.println(Wheels: +wheels);
System.out.println(Price: $+price);
}
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 375 of 456

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

public class Bicycle{

boolean gear;

public Bicycle(String vId, String vName, int tyres, float price,

boolean gear) {

super(vId,vName,tyres,price);
gear=gear;
}

@Override
public void printDetails(){

if(gear==true)
System.out.println(Geared: Yes);
else
System.out.println(Geared: No);
}

public static void main(String[] args) {

TwoWheeler obj = new Bicycle(args[0], args[1], Integer.

parseInt(args[2]), args[3],args[4]);
obj.printDetails();

}
}
Concepts

The code is not functioning properly. The user passes the following arguments at command line:
B001 Mountain-Bicycle 2 200 true

376 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 10
Session Inheritance and Polymorphism

Fix the code to get the following output:

Bicycle Id: B001
Bicycle Type: Mountain-Bicycle
Wheels: 2
Price: $200.0
Geared: Yes
(Hint: Use concepts of inheritance, super, wrapper class, and virtual method invocation)

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 377 of 456



To learn, you must want to be taught.
 Session - 11
Interfaces and Nested Classes
Welcome to the Session, Interfaces and Nested Classes.

This session explains the concept of interfaces and the purpose of using
interfaces as well as implementation of multiple interfaces. Further, the
session describes the concept of abstraction, nested class, member class,
and local class. Lastly, the session explains the use of anonymous class and
static nested class.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Describe Interface

Explain the purpose of interfaces

Explain implementation of multiple interfaces

Describe Abstraction

Explain Nested class

Explain Member class

Explain Local class

Explain Anonymous class

Describe Static nested class

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

11.1 Introduction
Java does not support multiple inheritance. However, there are several cases when it becomes mandatory
for an object to inherit properties from multiple classes to avoid redundancy and complexity in code. For
this purpose, Java provides a workaround in the form of interfaces.
Also, Java provides the concept of nested classes to make certain types of programs easy to manage,
more secure, and less complex.

11.2 Interfaces
An interface in Java is a contract that specifies the standards to be followed by the types that implement
it. The classes that accept the contract must abide by it.
An interface and a class are similar in the following ways:

An interface can contain multiple methods.

An interface is saved with a .java extension and the name of the file must match with the name of
the interface just as a Java class.

The bytecode of an interface is also saved in a .class file.

Interfaces are stored in packages and the bytecode file is stored in a directory structure that
matches the package name.
However, an interface and a class differ in several ways as follows:

An interface cannot be instantiated.

An interface cannot have constructors.

All the methods of an interface are implicitly abstract.

The fields declared in an interface must be both static and final. Interface cannot have instance
fields.

An interface is not extended but implemented by a class.

Concepts

An interface can extend multiple interfaces.

380 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

11.2.1 Purpose of Interfaces

Objects in Java interact with the outside world with the help of methods exposed by them. Thus, it can
be said that, methods serve as the objects interface with the outside world.
This is similar to the buttons in front of a television set. These buttons acts as an interface between the
user and the electrical circuit and wiring on the other side of the plastic casing. When the power button
is pressed, the television set is turned on and off.
In Java, an interface is a collection of related methods without any body. These methods form the
contract that the implementing class must agree with. When a class implements an interface, it becomes
more formal about the behavior it promises to provide. This contract is enforced at build time by the
compiler. If a class implements an interface, all the methods declared by that interface must appear in
the implementing class for the class to compile successfully.
Thus, in Java, an interface is a reference type that is similar to a class. However, it can contain only
method signatures, constants, and nested types. There is no method definition but only declaration.
Also, unlike a class, interfaces cannot be instantiated and must be implemented by classes or extended
by other interfaces in order to use them.
There are a several situations in software engineering when it becomes necessary for different groups
of developers to agree to a contract that specifies how their software interacts. However, each group
should have the liberty to write their code in their desired manner without having the knowledge of how
the other groups are writing their code. Java interfaces can be used for defining such contracts.
Interfaces do not belong to any class hierarchy, even though they work in conjunction with classes. Java
does not permit multiple inheritance for which interfaces provide an alternative. In Java, a class can
inherit from only one class but it can implement multiple interfaces. Therefore, objects of a class can
have multiple types such as the type of their own class as well as the types of the interfaces that the class
implements. The syntax for declaring an interface is as follows:
Syntax:
<visibility> interface <interface-name> extends <other-interfaces, >
{
// declare constants
// declare abstract methods
}
where,
Concepts

<visibility>: Indicates the access rights to the interface. Visibility of an interface is always public.
<interface-name>: Indicates the name of the interface.
<other-interfaces>: List of interfaces that the current interface inherits from.
For example,
public interface Sample extends Interface1{

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 381 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

static final int someInteger;

public void someMethod();
}
In Java, interface names are written in CamelCase, that is, first letter of each word is capitalized. Also, the
name of the interface describes an operation that a class can perform. For example,
interface Enumerable
interface Comparable
Some programmers prefix the letter I with the interface name to distinguish interfaces from classes. For
example,
interface IEnumerable
interface IComparable
Notice that the method declaration does not have any braces and is terminated with a semicolon. Also,
the body of the interface contains only abstract methods and no concrete method. However, since all
methods in an interface are implicitly abstract, the abstract keyword is not explicitly specified with
the method signature.
When a class implements an interface, it must implement all its methods. If the class does not implement
all its methods, it must be marked abstract. Also, if the class implementing the interface is abstract,
one of its subclasses must implement the unimplemented methods. Again, if any of the abstract class
subclasses does not implement all the interface methods, the subclass must be marked abstract as
well.
The data members of an interface are implicitly static, final, and public.
Consider the hierarchy of vehicles where IVehicle is the interface that declares the methods which
the implementing classes such as TwoWheeler, FourWheeler, and so on can define. To create a new
interface in NetBeans IDE, right-click the package name and select New Java Interface as shown in
figure 11.1.
Concepts

382 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Figure 11.1: Creating a New Java Interface

A dialog box appears where the user must provide a name for the interface and then, click OK. This will
create an interface with the specified name.
Code Snippet 1 defines the interface, IVehicle.
Code Snippet 1:

package session11;
public interface IVehicle {
// Declare and initialize constant
static final String STATEID=LA-09; // variable to store state ID

/**
Concepts

* Abstract method to start a vehicle

* @return void
*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 383 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

public void start();

/**
* Abstract method to accelerate a vehicle
* @param speed an integer variable storing speed
* @return void
*/
public void accelerate(int speed);

/**
* Abstract method to apply a brake
* @return void
*/
public void brake();

/**
* Abstract method to stop a vehicle
* @return void
*/
public void stop();
}

Code Snippet 1 defines an interface IVehicle with a static constant String variable STATEID. Also,
it declares several abstract methods such as start(), accelerate(int), brake(), and stop().
To use the interface, a class is required to implement the interface. The instantiating class implementing
the interfaces must define all these methods.
The syntax to implement an interface is as follows:
Syntax:
class <class-name> implements <Interface1>,
Concepts

{
// class members
// overridden abstract methods of the interface(s)
}

384 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Code Snippet 2 defines the class TwoWheeler that implements the IVehicle interface.
Code Snippet 2:

package session11;
class TwoWheeler implements IVehicle {

String ID; // variable to store vehicle ID

String type; // variable to store vehicle type

/**
* Parameterized constructor to initialize values based on user input
*
* @param ID a String variable storing vehicle ID
* @param type a String variable storing vehicle type
*/
public TwoWheeler(String ID, String type){
this.ID = ID;
this.type = type;
}

/**
* Overridden method, starts a vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void start() {
System.out.println(Starting the + type);
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 385 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

/**
* Overridden method, accelerates a vehicle
* @param speed an integer storing the speed
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void accelerate(int speed) {
System.out.println(Accelerating at speed:+speed+ kmph);
}
/**
* Overridden method, applies brake to a vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void brake() {
System.out.println(Applying brakes);
}

/**
* Overridden method, stops a vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void stop() {
System.out.println(Stopping the + type);
Concepts

386 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

/**
* Displays vehicle details
*
* @return void
*/
public void displayDetails(){
System.out.println(Vehicle No.: + STATEID+ + ID);
System.out.println(Vehicle Type.: + type);
}
}

/**
* Define the class TestVehicle.java
*
*/
public class TestVehicle {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args){
// Verify the number of command line arguments
if(args.length==3) {
// Instantiate the TwoWheeler class
TwoWheeler objBike = new TwoWheeler(args[0], args[1]);
// Invoke the class methods
objBike.displayDetails();
Concepts

objBike.start();
objBike.accelerate(Integer.parseInt(args[2]));

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 387 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

objBike.brake();
objBike.stop();
}
else {
System.out.println(Usage: java TwoWheeler <ID> <Type> <Speed>);
}
}
}

Code Snippet 2 defines the class TwoWheeler that implements the IVehicle interface. The class
consists of some instance variables and a constructor to initialize the variables. Notice, that the class
implements all the methods of the interface IVehicle. The displayDetails() method is used to
display the details of the specified vehicle.
The main() method is defined in another class TestVehicle. Within the main() method, the number
of command line arguments specified is verified and accordingly the object of class TwoWheeler is
created. Next, the object is used to invoke the various methods of the class.
Figure 11.2 shows the output of the code when the user passes CS-2723 Bike 80 as command line
arguments.

Figure 11.2: Output of TwoWheeler.java Class

11.2.2 Implementing Multiple Interfaces

Java does not support multiple inheritance of classes but allows implementing multiple interfaces to
Concepts

simulate multiple inheritance. To implement multiple interfaces, write the interface names after the
implements keyword separated by a comma. For example,
public class Sample implements Interface1, Interaface2{
}

388 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Code Snippet 3 defines the interface IManufacturer.

Code Snippet 3:

package session11;
public interface IManufacturer {

/**
* Abstract method to add contact details
* @param detail a String variable storing manufacturer detail
* @return void
*/
public void addContact(String detail);

/**
* Abstract method to call the manufacturer
* @param phone a String variable storing phone number
* @return void
*/
public void callManufacturer(String phone);

/**
* Abstract method to make payment
* @param amount a float variable storing amount
* @return void
*/
public void makePayment(float amount);
}
Concepts

The interface IManufacturer declares three abstract methods namely, addContact(String),

callManufacturer(String), and makePayment(float) that must be defined by the implementing
classes.
The modified class, TwoWheeler implementing both the IVehicle and IManufacturer interfaces is
displayed in Code Snippet 4.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 389 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Code Snippet 4:

package session11;
class TwoWheeler implements IVehicle, IManufacturer {

String ID; // variable to store vehicle ID

String type; // variable to store vehicle type

/**
* Parameterized constructor to initialize values based on user input
*
* @param ID a String variable storing vehicle ID
* @param type a String variable storing vehicle type
*/
public TwoWheeler(String ID, String type){

this.ID = ID;
this.type = type;
}

/**
* Overridden method, starts a vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void start() {
System.out.println(Starting the + type);
Concepts

390 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

/**
* Overridden method, accelerates a vehicle
* @param speed an integer storing the speed
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void accelerate(int speed) {
System.out.println(Accelerating at speed:+speed+ kmph);
}

/**
* Overridden method, applies brake to a vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void brake() {
System.out.println(Applying brakes...);
}

/**
* Overridden method, stops a vehicle
*
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void stop() {
Concepts

System.out.println(Stopping the + type);

}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 391 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

/**
* Displays vehicle details
*
* @return void
*/
public void displayDetails()
{
System.out.println(Vehicle No.: + STATEID+ + ID);
System.out.println(Vehicle Type.: + type);
}

// Implement the IManufacturer interface methods

/**
* Overridden method, adds manufacturer details
* @param detail a String variable storing manufacturer detail
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void addContact(String detail) {

System.out.println(Manufacturer: +detail);
}

/**
* Overridden method, calls the manufacturer
* @param phone a String variable storing phone number
Concepts

* @return void
*/

392 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

@Override
public void callManufacturer(String phone) {
System.out.println(Calling Manufacturer @: +phone);
}

/**
* Overridden method, makes payment
* @param amount a String variable storing the amount
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void makePayment(float amount) {
System.out.println(Payable Amount: $+amount);
}
}

/**
* Define the class TestVehicle.java
*
*/
public class TestVehicle {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args){

// Verify number of command line arguments

Concepts

if(args.length==6) {

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 393 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

// Instantiate the class

TwoWheeler objBike = new TwoWheeler(args[0], args[1]);
objBike.displayDetails();
objBike.start();
objBike.accelerate(Integer.parseInt(args[2]));
objBike.brake();
objBike.stop();
objBike.addContact(args[3]);
objBike.callManufacturer(args[4]);
objBike.makePayment(Float.parseFloat(args[5]));
}
else{
// Display an error message
System.out.println(Usage: java TwoWheeler <ID> <Type> <Speed>
<Manufacturer> <Phone> <Amount>);
}
}
}

The class TwoWheeler now implements both the interfaces; IVehicle and IManufacturer. Also, it
implements all the methods of both the interfaces.
Figure 11.3 shows the output of the modified code. The user passes CS-2737 Bike 80 BN-Bikes
808-283-2828 300 as command line arguments.
Concepts

394 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Figure 11.3: Output of modified TwoWheeler.java Class

Notice that the interface IManufacturer can be implemented by other classes such as FourWheeler,
Furniture, Jewelry, and so on, that require manufacturer information.

11.2.3 Understanding the Concept of Abstraction

Abstraction is an essential element of object-oriented programming. In Java, it is defined as the process
of hiding the unnecessary details and revealing only the essential features of an object to the user.
Abstraction is a concept that is used by classes that consist of attributes and methods that perform
operations on these attributes.
Abstraction can also be achieved through composition. For example, a class Vehicle is composed of an
engine, tyres, ignition key, and may other components. To construct the class Vehicle, one need not
know about the internal working of the different components, but only know how to interact or interface
with them. That is, send and receive messages to and from them as well as make the different objects
that compose the Vehicle class interact with each other.
In Java, abstract classes and interfaces are used to implement the concept of abstraction. An abstract
class or interface is not concrete. In other words, it is incomplete. To use an abstract class or interface
one needs to extend or implement abstract methods with concrete behavior according to the context
in which it is used. Abstraction is used to define an object based on its attributes, functionality, and
interface.
The differences between an abstract class and an interface are listed in table 11.1.
Concepts

Abstract Class Interface

An abstract class can have abstract as An interface can have only abstract
well as concrete methods that are methods methods.
with a body.
An abstract class may have non-final Variables declared in an interface are implicitly
variables. final.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 395 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Abstract Class Interface

An abstract class may have members with Members of an interface are public by
different access specifiers such as private, default.
protected, and so on.
An abstract class is inherited using the An interface is implemented using the
extends keyword. implements keyword.
An abstract class can inherit from another An interface can extend from one or more
class and implement multiple interfaces. interfaces.
Table 11.1: Abstract Class v/s Interfaces
Abstraction and Encapsulation are two important object-oriented programming concepts in Java. The
two concepts are completely different from each other. Abstraction refers to bringing out the behavior
from How exactly it is implemented whereas Encapsulation refers to hiding details of implementation
from the outside world so as to ensure that any change to a class does not affect the dependent classes.
Some of the differences between the two concepts are as follows:

Abstraction is implemented using an interface and an abstract class whereas Encapsulation is

implemented using private, default or package-private, and protected access modifier.

Encapsulation is also referred to as data hiding.

The basis of the design principle programming for interface than implementation is abstraction
and that of encapsulate whatever changes is encapsulation.

11.3 Nested Class

Java allows defining a class within another class. Such a class is called a nested class as shown in figure
11.4.
Concepts

Figure 11.4: Nested Class

396 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Code Snippet 5 defines a nested class.

Code Snippet 5:

class Outer{
...
class Nested{
...
}
}

The class Outer is the external enclosing class and the class Nested is the class defined within the class
Outer.
Nested classes are classified as static and non-static. Nested classes that are declared static are simply
termed as static nested classes whereas non-static nested classes are termed as inner classes. This has
been demonstrated in Code Snippet 6.
Code Snippet 6:

class Outer{
...
static class StaticNested{
...
}
class Inner{
...
}
}

Notice that the class StaticNested is a nested class that has been declared as static whereas the
non-static nested class, Inner, is declared without the keyword static.
A nested class is a member of its enclosing class. Note that non-static nested classes or inner classes
can access the members of the enclosing class even when they are declared as private. On the other
hand, static nested classes cannot access any other member of the enclosing class. As a member of
the outer class, a nested class can have any access specifier such as public, private, protected, or
Concepts

default (package private).

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 397 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

11.3.1 Benefits of Using Nested Class

The reasons for introducing this advantageous feature of defining nested class in Java are as follows:

Creates logical grouping of classes: If a class is of use to only one class, then it can be
embedded within that class and the two classes can be kept together. In other words, it helps in
grouping the related functionality together. Nesting of such helper classes helps to make the
package more efficient and streamlined.

Increases encapsulation: In case of two top level classes such as class A and B, when B wants
access to members of A that are private, class B can be nested within class A so that B can
access the members declared as private. Also, this will hide class B from the outside world. Thus,
it helps to access all the members of the top-level enclosing class even if they are declared as
private.

Increased readability and maintainability of code: Nesting of small classes within larger
top-level classes helps to place the code closer to where it will be used.
The different types of nested classes are as follows:

Member classes or non-static nested classes

Local classes

Anonymous classes

Static Nested classes

11.3.2 Member Classes

A member class is a non-static inner class. It is declared as a member of the outer or enclosing class. The
member class cannot have static modifier since it is associated with instances of the outer class. An
inner class can directly access all members that is, fields and methods of the outer class including the
private ones. However, the reverse is not true. That is, the outer class cannot access the members of the
inner class directly even if they are declared as public. This is because members of an inner class are
declared within the scope of inner class.
An inner class can be declared as public, private, protected, abstract, or final. Instances of an
Concepts

inner class exist within an instance of the outer class. To instantiate an inner class, one must create an
instance of the outer class. Then, one can access the inner class object within the outer class object using
the statement defined in Code Snippet 7.

398 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Code Snippet 7:

// accessing inner class using outer class object

Outer.Inner objInner = objOuter.new Inner();

Code Snippet 8 describes an example of non-static inner class.

Code Snippet 8:

package session11;
class Server {
String port; // variable to store port number

/**
* Connects to specified server
*
* @param IP a String variable storing IP address of server
* @param port a String variable storing port number of server
* @return void
*/
public void connectServer(String IP, String port) {
System.out.println(Connecting to Server at:+ IP + : + port);
}

/**
* Define an inner class
*
*/
class IPAddress
{
/**
Concepts

* Returns the IP address of a server

*
* @return String
*/

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 399 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

String getIP() {
return 101.232.28.12;
}
}
}

/**
* Define the class TestConnection.java
*
*/
public class TestConnection {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args){
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
// Check the number of command line arguments
if(args.length==1) {
// Instantiate the outer class
Server objServer1 = new Server();

// Instantiate the inner class using outer class object

Concepts

Server.IPAddress objIP = objServer1.new IPAddress();

400 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

// Invoke the connectServer() method with the IP returned from

// the getIP() method of the inner class
objServer1.connectServer(objIP.getIP(),args[0]);
}
else {
System.out.println(Usage: java Server <port-no>);
}
}
}

The class Server is an outer class that consists of a variable port that represents the port at which
the server will be connected. Also, the connectServer(String, String) method accepts the IP
address and port number as a parameter. The inner class IPAddress consists of the getIP() method
that returns the IP address of the server.
The main() method is defined in the class TestConnection. Within main()method, the number
of arguments is verified and accordingly the object of Server class is created. Next, the object
objServer1 is used to create the object, objIP, of inner class IPAddress. Lastly, the outer class object
is used to invoke the connectServer() method. The IP address is retrieved using objIP.getIP()
statement. Figure 11.5 shows the output of the code when user provides 8080 as the port number at
command line.

Figure 11.5: Output of Server.java Class Using Inner Class

11.3.3 Local Class

An inner class defined within a code block such as the body of a method, constructor, or an initializer, is
termed as a local inner class. The scope of a local inner class is only within that particular block. Unlike an
inner class, a local inner class is not a member of the outer class and therefore, it cannot have any access
Concepts

specifier. That is, it cannot use modifiers such as public, protected, private, or static. However,
it can access all members of the outer class as well as final variables declared within the scope in which
it is defined.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 401 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Figure 11.6 displays a local inner class.

Figure 11.6: Local Inner Class

Local inner class has the following features:

It is associated with an instance of the enclosing class.

It can access any members, including private members, of the enclosing class.

It can access any local variables, method parameters, or exception parameters that are in the
scope of the local method definition, provided that these are declared as final.
Code Snippet 9 demonstrates an example of local inner class.
Code Snippet 9:

package session11;
class Employee {
/**
* Evaluates employee status
*
* @param empID a String variable storing employee ID
Concepts

* @param empAge an integer variable storing employee age

* @return void
*/

402 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

public void evaluateStatus(String empID, int empAge){

// local final variable
final int age=40;

/**
* Local inner class Rank
*
*/
class Rank{

/**
* Returns the rank of an employee
*
* @param empID a String variable that stores the employee ID
* @return char
*/
public char getRank(String empID){

System.out.println(Getting Rank of employee: + empID);

// assuming that rank A was returned from server

return A;
}
}
// Check the specified age
if(empAge>=age){
// Instantiate the Rank class
Concepts

Rank objRank = new Rank();

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 403 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

// Retrieve the employees rank

char rank = objRank.getRank(empID);

// Verify the rank value

if(rank == A) {
System.out.println(Employee rank is:+ rank);
System.out.println(Status: Eligible for upgrade);
}
else{
System.out.println(Status: Not Eligible for upgrade);
}
}
else{
System.out.println(Status: Not Eligible for upgrade);
}
}
}

/**
* Define the class TestEmployee.java
*
*/
public class TestEmployee {
/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args)
Concepts

{
if(args.length==2) {

404 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

// Object of outer class

Employee objEmp1 = new Employee();

// Invoke the evaluateStatus() method

objEmp1.evaluateStatus(args[0], Integer.parseInt(args[1]));
}
else{
System.out.println(Usage: java Employee <Emp-Id> <Age>);
}
}
}

The class Employee is the outer class with a method named evaluateStatus(String,int). The
method consists of a local final variable named age. The class Rank is a local inner class within the
method. The Rank class consists of one method getRank() that returns the rank of the specified
employee Id.
Next, if the age of the employee is greater than 40, the object of Rank class is created and the rank is
retrieved. If the rank is equal to A then, the employee is eligible for upgrade otherwise the employee is
not eligible.
The main() method is defined in the TestEmployee class. Within the main() method, an object
objEmp1 of class Employee is created and the method evaluateStatus() is invoked with appropriate
arguments.
Figure 11.7 shows the output of the code when user passes E001 as employee Id and 50 for age.

Figure 11.7: Output of Employee.java Class Using Local Inner Class

Concepts

11.3.4 Anonymous Class

An inner class declared without a name within a code block such as the body of a method is called an
anonymous inner class. Since, an anonymous class does not have a name associated, it can be accessed
only at the point where it is defined.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 405 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Anonymous class is a type of local class that cannot use the extends and implements keywords nor
can specify any access modifiers, such as public, private, protected, and static. It cannot define
a constructor, static fields, methods, or classes. Also, it cannot implement anonymous interfaces
because an interface cannot be implemented without a name.
Since, an anonymous class does not have a name, it cannot have a named constructor but it can have an
instance initializer. Rules for accessing an anonymous class are the same as that of local inner class.
Usually, anonymous class is an implementation of its super class or interface and contains the
implementation of the methods. Anonymous inner classes have a scope limited to the outer class. They
can access the internal or private members and methods of the outer class. Anonymous class is useful
for controlled access to the internal details of another class. Also, it is useful when a user wants only one
instance of a special class.
Figure 11.8 displays an anonymous class.

Figure 11.8: Anonymous Inner Class

Concepts

406 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Code Snippet 10 describes an example of anonymous class.

Code Snippet 10:

package session11;
class Authenticate {

/**
* Define an anonymous class
*
*/
Account objAcc = new Account() {

/**
* Displays balance
*
* @param accNo a String variable storing balance
* @return void
*/
@Override
public void displayBalance(String accNo) {
System.out.println(Retrieving balance. Please wait...);

// Assume that the server returns 40000

System.out.println(Balance of account number + accNo.toUpperCase() + is
$40000);
}
}; // End of anonymous class
}
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 407 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

/**
* Define the Account class
*
*/
class Account {
/**
* Displays balance
*
* @param accNo a String variable storing balance
* @return void
*/
public void displayBalance(String accNo) {
}
}

/**
* Define the TestAuthentication class
*
*/
public class TestAuthentication {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Instantiate the Authenticate class
Authenticate objUser = new Authenticate()
Concepts

408 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

// Check the number of command line arguments

if (args.length == 3) {

if (args[0].equals(admin) && args[1].equals(abc@123)){

// Invoke the displayBalance() method

objUser.objAcc.displayBalance(args[2]);
}
else{
System.out.println(Unauthorized user);
}
}
else {
System.out.println(Usage: java Authenticate <user-name> <password>
<account-no>);
}
}
}

The Authenticate
class consists of an anonymous object of type Account. The
displayBalance(String) method is used to retrieve and display the balance of the specified
account number.
The main() method is defined in the TestAuthentication class. Within main() method, an object
of class Authenticate is created. The number of command line arguments is verified. If the number of
arguments are correct, the username and password is verified and accordingly the object of anonymous
class is used to invoke the displayBalance() method with account number as the argument.
Figure 11.9 shows the output of the code when user passes admin, abc@123, and akdle26152, as
arguments.
Concepts

Figure 11.9: Output of Authenticate.java Class Using Anonymous Class

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 409 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

11.3.5 Static Nested Class

A static nested class is associated with the outer class just like variables and methods. A static
nested class cannot directly refer to instance variables or methods of the outer class just like static
methods but can access only through an object reference.
A static nested class, by behavior, is a top-level class that has been nested in another top-level class
for packaging convenience.
Static nested classes are accessed using the fully qualified class name, that is,
OuterClass.StaticNestedClass. A static nested class can have public, protected, private,
default or package private, final, and abstract access specifiers.
Code Snippet 11 demonstrates the use of static nested class.
Code Snippet 11:

package session11;
import java.util.Calendar;
class AtmMachine {

/**
* Define the static nested class
*
*/
static class BankDetails
{
// Instantiate the Calendar class of java.util package
static Calendar objNow = Calendar.getInstance();

/**
* Displays the bank and transaction details
*
* @return void
Concepts

*/

410 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

public static void printDetails(){

System.out.println(State Bank of America);
System.out.println(Branch: New York);
System.out.println(Code: K3983LKSIE);
// retrieving current date and time using Calendar object
System.out.println(Date-Time: + objNow.getTime());
}
}

/**
* Displays balance
* @param accNo a String variable that stores the account number
* @return void
*/
public void displayBalance(String accNo) {
// Assume that the server returns 200000
System.out.println(Balance of account number + accNo.toUpperCase() + is
$200000);
}
}

/**
* Define the TestATM class
*
*/
public class TestATM {
/**
Concepts

* @param args the command line arguments

*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 411 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

if(args.length ==1) { // verifying number of command line arguments

// Instantiate the outer class

AtmMachine objAtm = new AtmMachine();

// Invoke the static nested class method using outer class object
AtmMachine.BankDetails.printDetails();

// Invoke the instance method of outer class

objAtm.displayBalance(args[0]);
}
else{
System.out.println(Usage: java AtmMachine <account-no>);
}
}
}

The class AtmMachine consists of a static nested class named BankDetails. The static nested
class creates an object of the Calendar class of java.util package. The Calendar class consists of
built-in methods to set or retrieve the system date and time. The printDetails() method is used to
print the bank details along with the current date and time using the getTime() method of Calendar
class.
The main() method is defined in the TestATM class. Within main() method, the number of command
line arguments is verified and accordingly an object of class AtmMachine is created. Next, the static
method printDetails() of the nested class BankDetails is invoked and accessed directly using the
class name of the outer class AtmMachine. Lastly, the object objAtm of outer class is used to invoke
displayBalance() method of the outer class with account number as the argument.
Figure 11.10 shows the output of the code when user passes akdle26152 as account number.
Concepts

Figure 11.10: Output of AtmMachine.java Class Using Static Nested Class

412 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Notice that the output of date and time shows the default format as specified in the implementation
of the getTime() method. The format can be modified according to the user requirement using the
SimpleDateFormat class of java.text package. SimpleDateFormat is a concrete class used
to format and parse dates in a locale-specific manner. SimpleDateFormat class allows specifying
user-defined patterns for date-time formatting. The modified BankDetails class using
SimpleDateFormat class is displayed in Code Snippet 12.
Code Snippet 12:

import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Calendar;
class AtmMachine {
/**
* Define the static nested class
*
*/

static class BankDetails

{
// Instantiate the Calendar class of java.util package
static Calendar objNow = Calendar.getInstance();

/**
* Displays the bank and transaction details
*
* @return void
*/
public static void printDetails(){
System.out.println(State Bank of America);
System.out.println(Branch: New York);
System.out.println(Code: K3983LKSIE);
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 413 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

// Format the output of date-time using SimpleDateFormat class

SimpleDateFormat objFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss);

// Retrieve the current date and time using Calendar object

System.out.println(Date-Time: + objFormat.format(objNow.getTime()));
}
}


}

The SimpleDateFormat class constructor takes the date pattern as a String. In Code Snippet 12,
the pattern dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss uses several symbols that are pattern letters recognized by the
SimpleDateFormat class. Table 11.2 lists the pattern letters used in the code with their description.

Pattern Letter Description

d Day of the month
M Month of the year
y Year
H Hour of a day (0-23)
m Minute of an hour
s Second of a minute
Table 11.2: Date Pattern Letters
Figure 11.11 shows the output of the modified code.
Concepts

Figure 11.11: Output of Modified AtmMachine.java Class Using SimpleDateFormat

Notice that the date and time are now displayed in the specified format that is more understandable to
the user.

414 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

11.4 Check Your Progress

1. An interface is saved with a _______ extension.

(A) .interface (C) .jar

(B) .exe (D) .java

2. Which of the following statements about an interface are true?

An interface can contain multiple All the methods of an interface are

a. c.
methods. implicitly abstract.
b. An interface can be instantiated. d, An interface can have constructors.

(A) b, c (C) b, d

(B) a, d (D) a, c

3. Match the following description with the corresponding nested class type.

Description Nested Class Type

A non-static inner class declared as a member of

a. 1. Local Inner Class
the outer or enclosing class.
An inner class declared without a name within a
b. 2. Member Class
code block such as the body of a method.
An inner class defined within a code block such
c. as the body of a method, constructor, or an 3. Static Nested Class
initialize.
Cannot directly refer to instance variables or
d. methods of the outer class but only through an 4. Anonymous Class
object reference.
Concepts

(A) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2 (C) a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1

(B) a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3 (D) a-2, b-3, c-4, d-1

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 415 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

4. Consider the following code present in two files:

public interface Publisher {
public void addContact();
public void getRoyaltyAmt();
}
public class Book implements Publisher {

String ID;
String type;

public Book(String ID, String type) {

this.ID = ID;
this.type = type;
}

@Override
public void addContact() {
System.out.println(Storing contact .....);
}

@Override
public void getRoyaltyAmt() {
System.out.println(Royalty amount is $2000);
}

public void displayDetails() {

System.out.println(Book ID: + ID);
Concepts

System.out.println(Book Type.: + type);

}

416 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

public static void main(String[] args) {

if (args.length == 2)
{

Book objBook1 = new Book(args[0], args[1]);

objBook1.displayDetails();
objBook1.addContact();
objBook1.getRoyaltyAmt();

} else {
System.out.println(Usage: java Book <ID> <Type>);
}
}
}

What will be the output of the code when user passes B001 as the command line argument?

(A) Compilation Error (C) Usage: java Book <ID> <Type>

Book ID: B001

Book Type:
(B) (D) Runtime Error
Storing contact .....
Royalty amount is $2000

5. Identify the correct syntax to implement multiple interfaces in a class.

class <class-name> class <class-name>
(A) implements <Interface1> (C) implements <Interface1>:
<Interface2> <Interface2>:
class <class-name> class <class-name>
(B) implements <Interface1>, (D) implements <Interface1>&
Concepts

<Interface2>, <Interface2>&

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 417 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

6. Consider the following code:

class Bird
{
public void moveBird()
{
Object o = new Fly() {
public void flightSpeed(int speed)
{
System.out.println(Flying at + speed + kmph);
}
};
}

public static void main(String[] args)

{}
}
class Fly
{
public void flightSpeed(int speed)
{}
}

Which type of nested class is used in the code?

(A) Anonymous class (C) Member class

(B) Local Inner class (D) Static Nested class

Concepts

418 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

11.4.1 Answers
1. D
2. D
3. B
4. C
5. B
6. A

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 419 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Summary
An interface in Java is a contract that specifies the standards to be followed by the types that
implement it.
To implement multiple interfaces, write the interfaces after the implements keyword separated by
a comma.
Abstraction, in Java, is defined as the process of hiding the unnecessary details and revealing only
the necessary details of an object.
Java allows defining a class within another class. Such a class is called a nested class.
A member class is a non-static inner class. It is declared as a member of the outer or enclosing
class.
An inner class defined within a code block such as the body of a method, constructor, or an
initializer, is termed as a local inner class.
An inner class declared without a name within a code block such as the body of a method is called
an anonymous inner class.
A static nested class cannot directly refer to instance variables or methods of the outer class just
like static methods but only through an object reference.
Concepts

420 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Try it Yourself
1. Imaginations Pvt. Ltd. is a famous graphics design and animation company located in New York,
USA. The company has started a new IT division wherein they recruit programmers to create
customized graphic software. Currently, the company is working on an animation software. The
project manager has assigned the various modules to different programmers according to their
skill.
Jack, one of the Java programmers, has been assigned the task to create a code for drawing and
animating shapes according to specifications given by user. Jack has written the following sample
code to accomplish the task.
public abstract class Shape {

public abstract void drawShape();

public void calcArea(float val)

{
System.out.println(Area of Shape);
}
}

public abstract class IAnimate {

void rotateObject(int degree);

void flipObject(int direction);
void moveObject(int distance);
}
Concepts

public class Circle extends Shape, IAnimate{

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 421 of 456

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

@Override
public void calcArea(float rad)
{
System.out.println(Area of Circle is: + (3.14*rad*rad));
}

@Override
public void rotateObject(int degree) {
System.out.println(Rotating Circle by + degree + degrees);
}

@Override
public void flipObject(int direction) {
System.out.println(Flipping Circle + direction);
}

@Override
public void moveObject(int distance) {
System.out.println(Moving Circle by+ distance + cm);
}

public static void main(String[] args)

{
Circle objCircle = new Circle();
objCircle.drawShape();
objCircle.calcArea(args[0]);
objCircle.rotateObject(args[1]);
Concepts

}
}

Jack wishes to use the characteristics of both the Shape and Animate classes into the Circle
class. However, the code is generating compilation errors and not functioning properly.

422 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 11
Session Interfaces and Nested Classes

Fix the code to get the following output:

Drawing Circle ...
Area of Circle is: 1256.0
Rotating Circle by 30 degrees
Also, if the user does not specify the required number of arguments, appropriate message must be
displayed.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 423 of 456



Who dares to teach must never
cease to learn.
 Session - 12
Exceptions
Welcome to the Session, Exceptions.

This session explains the concept of exception and the types of errors and
exceptions. Further, this session describes the Exception class and exception
handling. The session also explains the try-catch and finally blocks. Finally,
the session explains the execution flow of exceptions and guidelines to
exception handling.

In this Session, you will learn to:

Describe exceptions

Explain types of errors and exceptions

Describe the Exception class

Describe exception handling

Explain try-catch block

Explain finally block

Explain execution flow of exceptions

Explain guidelines to exception handling

 12
Session Exceptions

12.1 Introduction
Java is a very robust and efficient programming language. Features such as classes, objects, inheritance,
and so on make Java a strong, versatile, and secure language. However, no matter how well a code
is written, it is prone to failure or behaves erroneously in certain conditions. These situations may be
expected or unexpected. In either case, the user would be nonplussed or confused with such unexpected
behavior of code.
To avoid such a situation, Java provides the concept of exception handling using which, a programmer
can display appropriate message to the user in case such unexpected behavior of code occurs.

12.2 Exceptions
An exception is an event or an abnormal condition in a program occurring during execution of a program
that leads to disruption of normal flow of program instructions. An exception can occur for different
reasons such as when the user enters invalid data, a file that needs to be opened cannot be found, a
network connection has been lost in the middle of communications, or the JVM has run out of memory.
When an error occurs inside a method, it creates an exception object and passes it to the runtime
system. This object holds information about the type of error and state of the program when the error
occurred.

This process of creating an exception object and passing it to the runtime system is termed as throwing
an exception. After an exception is thrown by a method, the runtime system tries to find some code block
to handle it. The possible code blocks where the exception can be handled are a series of methods that
were invoked in order to reach the method where the error has actually occurred. This list or series of
methods is called the call stack. In other words, the stack trace shows the sequence of method invocations
that led up to the exception.

Figure 12.1 shows an example of method call stack.

Concepts

Figure 12.1: Runtime Call Stack and Exception Handling

426 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

Figure 12.1 shows the method call from main Method A Method B Method C. When an
exception occurs in method C, it throws the exception object to the runtime environment. The runtime
environment then searches the entire call stack for a method that consists of a code block that can
handle the exception. This block of code is called an exception handler.
The runtime environment first searches the method in which the error occurred. If a handler is not found,
it proceeds through the call stack in the reverse order in which the methods were invoked. When an
appropriate handler is found, the runtime environment passes the exception to the handler.
An appropriate exception handler is one that handles the same type of exception as the one thrown by
the method. In this case, the exception handler is said to catch the exception. If while searching the call
stack, the runtime environment fails to find an appropriate exception handler, the runtime environment
will consequently terminate the program.
An exception is thrown for the following reasons:

A throw statement within a method was executed.

An abnormality in execution was detected by the JVM, such as:

Violation of normal semantics of Java while evaluating an expression such as an integer
divided by zero.
Error occurring while linking, loading, or initializing part of the program that will throw an
instance of a subclass of LinkageError.
The JVM is prevented from executing the code due to an internal error or resource limitation
that will throw an instance of a subclass of VirtualMachineError.
These exceptions are not thrown arbitrarily, but at a point where they have been specified as a
possible outcome of an expression evaluation or statement execution.

An asynchronous exception occurred.

The use of exceptions to handle errors offers some advantages as follows:

Separate Error-Handling Code from Normal Code: Exceptions help separating the details of
what must be done when something wrong happens from the main logic of a program. In
conventional programming, error detection, error reporting, and error handling code were written
in the same area which often led to confusing and cluttered code. Exceptions on the other hand
allow a user to write the main flow of the code while dealing with the exceptional cases
elsewhere.
Concepts

Propagate Errors Higher Up in the Call Stack: Exceptions allow propagation of error reporting
up in the call stack of methods. A method that is part of the call stack can evade any exceptions
that are thrown within it so that a method further up the call stack can catch it. Thus, only the
concerned methods have to worry about detecting specific types of errors.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 427 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

Group the Similar Error Types: All exceptions that are thrown within a program are objects.
Thus, grouping of similar exceptions is an obvious outcome of the class hierarchy. For example, the
group of related exception classes defined in java.io package such as IOException and its
descendants. The IOException class is the most general exception that represents any type of
error occurring while performing Input/Output (I/O) operations. The subclasses of IOException
represent more specific errors. For example, the subclass FileNotFoundException handles the
exception when the user attempts to open a file that does not exist.

12.2.1 Types of Errors and Exceptions

As stated earlier, an exception is an abnormal condition arising during program execution. There are
several causes for an exception to occur such as invalid data entered by user, trying to open a file that does
not exist, loss of network connection in the middle of a transaction, or the JVM runs out of memory while
performing a task. It is clear that some of the exceptions are caused by user error, some by programming
error, and others by system resources that failed in some manner.
Based on this observation, Java provides the following two types of exceptions:

Checked Exceptions: These are exceptions that a well-written application must anticipate and
provide methods to recover from. For example, suppose an application prompts the user to
specify the name of a file to be opened and the user specifies the name of a nonexistent file. In
such a case, the java.io.FileNotFoundException is thrown. However, a well-written program
will have the code block to catch this exception and inform the user of the mistake by displaying
an appropriate message. In Java, all exceptions are checked exceptions, except those indicated by
Error, RuntimeException, and their subclasses.

Unchecked Exceptions: The unchecked exceptions are as follows:

Error: These are exceptions that are external to the application. The application usually
cannot anticipate or recover from errors. For example, suppose the user specified correct
file name for the file to be opened and the file exists on the system. However, the runtime
fails to read the file due to some hardware or system malfunction. Such a condition of
unsuccessful read throws the java.io.IOError exception. In this case, the application may
catch this exception and display an appropriate message to the user or leave it to the
program to print a stack trace and exit. Errors are exceptions generated by Error class and
its subclasses.
Runtime Exception: These exceptions are internal to the application and usually the
application cannot anticipate or recover from such exceptions. These exceptions usually
indicate programming errors, such as logical errors or improper use of an API. For example,
Concepts

suppose a user specified the file name of the file to be opened. However, due to some logical
error a null is passed to the application, then the application will throw a
NullPointerException. The application can choose to catch this exception and display
appropriate message to the user or eliminate the error that caused the exception to occur.
Runtime exceptions are indicated by RuntimeException class and its subclasses.

428 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

Errors and runtime exceptions are collectively known as unchecked exceptions.

In Java, Object class is the base class of the entire class hierarchy. Throwable class is the base class of
all the exception classes. Object class is the base class of Throwable. Throwable class has two direct
subclasses namely, Exception and Error. The Throwable class hierarchy is shown in figure 12.2.

Concepts

Figure 12.2: Throwable Class Hierarchy

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 429 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

Table 12.1 lists some of the checked exceptions.

Exception Description
InstantiationException Occurs upon an attempt to create instance of an
abstract class.
InterruptedException Occurs when a thread is interrupted.
NoSuchMethodException Occurs when JVM is unable to resolve which method
to be invoked.
Table 12.1: Checked Exceptions
Table 12.2 lists some of the commonly observed unchecked exceptions.

Exception Description
ArithmeticException Indicates an arithmetic error condition.
ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException Occurs if an array index is less than zero
or greater than the actual size of the
array.
IllegalArgumentException Occurs if method receives an illegal
argument.
NegativeArraySizeException Occurs if array size is less than zero.
NullPointerException Occurs on access to a null object
member.
NumberFormatException Occurs if unable to convert the string to
a number.
StringIndexOutOfBoundsException Occurs if index is negative or greater
than the size of the string.
Table 12.2: Unchecked Exceptions

12.2.2 Exception Class

The class Exception and its subclasses indicate conditions that an application might attempt to handle.
The Exception class and all its subclasses except RuntimeException and its subclasses, are checked
exceptions. The checked exceptions must be declared in a method or constructors throws clause if the
method or constructor is liable to throw the exception during its execution and propagate it further in the
call stack. Code Snippet 1 displays the structure of the Exception class.
Code Snippet 1:
Concepts

public class Exception extends Throwable

{

}

430 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

Table 12.3 lists the constructors of Exception class.

Exception Class Constructor Description

Exception() Constructs a new exception with error message set
to null.
Exception(String message) Constructs a new exception with error message set
to the specified string message.
Exception(String message, Constructs a new exception with error message set
Throwable cause) to the specified strings message and cause.
Exception(Throwable cause) Constructs a new exception with the specified
cause. The error message is set as per the
evaluation of cause == null?null:cause.
toString(). That is, if cause is null, it will return
null, else it will return the String representation
of the message. The message is usually the class
name and detail message of cause.
Table 12.3: Exception Class Constructors
Exception class provides several methods to get the details of an exception. Table 12.4 lists some of the
methods of Exception class.

Exception Class Method Description

public String getMessage() Returns the details about the exception that has
occurred.
public Throwable getCause() Returns the cause of the exception that is represented
by a Throwable object.
public String toString() If the Throwable object is created with a message
string that is not null, it returns the result of
getMessage() along with the name of the exception
class concatenated to it. If the Throwable object is
created with a null message string, it returns the
name of the actual class of the object.
public void printStackTrace() Prints the result of the method, toString() and the
stack trace to System.err, that is, the error output
stream.
public StackTraceElement [] Returns an array where each element contains a frame
getStackTrace() of the stack trace. The index 0 represents the method
Concepts

at the top of the call stack and the last element

represents the method at the bottom of the call stack.
public Throwable Fills the stack trace of this Throwable object with the
fillInStackTrace() current stack trace, adding to any previous information
in the stack trace.
Table 12.4: Exception Class Methods

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 431 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

Most of the methods throw and catch objects that derive from the Exception class. An exception
indicates that a problem has occurred, but it is not a serious system problem. Majority of the programs
are capable of throwing and catching exceptions as opposed to errors.
The Java platform defines many subclasses of the Exception class. These subclasses indicate the
various types of exceptions that can occur. For example, an IllegalAccessException indicates that
a method that was called could not be found. Similarly, a NegativeArraySizeException indicates
that a program attempted to create an array with a negative size.
The RuntimeException subclass of Exception class is reserved for those exceptions that indicate
incorrect use of an API. For example, the NullPointerException occurs when a method tries to
access a member of an object through a null reference.

12.3 Handling Exceptions in Java

Any exception that a method is liable to throw is considered to be as much a part of that methods
programming interface as its parameters and return value. The code that calls a method must be aware
about the exceptions that a method may throw. This helps the caller to decide how to handle them if and
when they occur.
More than one runtime exceptions can occur anywhere in a program. Having to add code to handle
runtime exceptions in every method declaration may reduce a programs clarity. Thus, the compiler does
not require that a user must catch or specify runtime exceptions, although it does not object it either.
A common situation where a user can throw a RuntimeException is when the user calls a method
incorrectly. For example, a method can check beforehand if one of its arguments is incorrectly specified
as null. In that case, the method may throw a NullPointerException, which is an unchecked
exception.
Thus, if a client is capable of reasonably recovering from an exception, make it a checked exception. If a
client cannot do anything to recover from the exception, make it an unchecked exception.

12.3.1 try-catch Block

The first step in creating an exception handler is to identify the code that may throw an exception and
enclose it within the try block. The syntax for declaring a try block is as follows:
Syntax:
try{
// statement 1
Concepts

// statement 2
}
The statements within the try block may throw an exception. Now, when the exception occurs, it is
trapped by the try block and the runtime looks for a suitable handler to handle the exception. To handle
the exception, the user must specify a catch block within the method that raised the exception or
somewhere higher in the method call stack.

432 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

The syntax for declaring a try-catch block is as follows:

Syntax:
try{
// statements that may raise exception
// statement 1
// statement 2
}
catch(<exception-type> <object-name>){

// handling exception
// error message
}
where,
exception-type: Indicates the type of exception that can be handled.
object-name: Object representing the type of exception.
The catch block handles exceptions derived from Throwable class.
Code Snippet 2 demonstrates an example of try with a single catch block.
Code Snippet 2:

package session12;
class Mathematics {

/**
* Divides two integers
* @param num1 an integer variable storing value of first number
* @param num2 an integer variable storing value of second number
* @return void
*/
Concepts

public void divide(int num1, int num2) {

// Create the try block
try {

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 433 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

// Statement that can cause exception

System.out.println(Division is: + (num1/num2));
}
catch(ArithmeticException e){ //catch block for ArithmeticException
// Display an error message to the user
System.out.println(Error: + e.getMessage());
}
// Rest of the method
System.out.println(Method execution completed);
}
}

/**
* Define the TestMath.java class
*/
public class TestMath {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
// Check the number of command line arguments
if(args.length==2) {
// Instantiate the Mathematics class
Mathematics objMath = new Mathematics();
// Invoke the divide(int,int) method
Concepts

objMath.divide(Integer.parseInt(args[0]), Integer.parseInt(args[1]));
}

434 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

else {
System.out.println(Usage: java Mathematics <number1> <number2>);
}
}
}

The class Mathematics consists of one method named divide() that accepts two integers as
parameters and prints the value after division on the screen. However, it is clear that the statement
num1/num2 might raise an error if the user specifies zero for the denominator num2. Therefore, the
statement is enclosed within the try block. Division being an arithmetic operation, the user can create
an appropriate catch block with ArithmeticException class object.
Within the catch block, the ArithmeticException class object e is used to invoke the getMessage()
method that will print the detail about the error. The main() method is defined in the TestMath class.
Within the main() method, the object of Mathematics class is created to invoke the divide() method
with the parameters specified by the user at command line.
Figure 12.3 shows the output of the program when user specifies 12 as numerator and 0 as
denominator.

Figure 12.3: Execution of Catch Block

The figure shows that upon execution, the try block raised an error as num2 was specified as 0. The
catch block was executed and the result of getMessage() is displayed to the user.

12.3.2 Execution Flow of Exceptions

In Code Snippet 1, divide-by-zero exception occurs on execution of the statement num1/num2. If
try-catch block is not provided, any code after this statement is not executed as an exception object
is automatically created. Since, no try-catch block is present, JVM handles the exception, prints the
stack trace, and the program is terminated.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 435 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

Figure 12.4 shows the execution of the code when try-catch block is not provided.

Figure 12.4: Execution Without try-catch Block

However, when the try-catch block is provided, the divide-by-zero exception occurring in the code is
handled by the try-catch block and an exception message is displayed. Also, the rest of the code gets
executed normally.
Figure 12.5 shows the execution of the code when try-catch block is provided.
Concepts

Figure 12.5: Execution of try-catch Block

12.3.3 throw and throws Keywords

Java provides the throw and throws keywords to explicitly raise an exception in the main() method.
The throw keyword throws the exception in a method. The throws keyword indicates the exception
that a method may throw.

436 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

The throw clause requires an argument of Throwable instance and raises checked or unchecked
exceptions in a method. Code Snippet 3 demonstrates the modified class Mathematics now using
throw and throws keywords for handling exceptions.
Code Snippet 3:

package session12;
class Mathematics {

/**
* Divides two integers, throws ArithmeticException
* @param num1 an integer variable storing value of first number
* @param num2 an integer variable storing value of second number
* @return void
*/
public void divide(int num1, int num2) throws ArithmeticException
{
// Check the value of num2
if(num2==0) {

// Throw the exception

throw new ArithmeticException(/ by zero);
}
else {
System.out.println(Division is: + (num1/num2));
}

// Rest of the method

System.out.println(Method execution completed);
}
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 437 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

/**
* Define the TestMath.java class
*/
public class TestMath {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

// Check the number of command line arguments

if(args.length==2) {

// Instantiate the Mathematics class

Mathematics objMath = new Mathematics();

try {

// Invoke the divide(int,int) method

objMath.divide(Integer.parseInt(args[0]), Integer.parseInt(args[1]));
}
catch(ArithmeticException e) {

// Display an error message to the user

System.out.println(Error: + e.getMessage());
}
}
Concepts

else{

438 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

System.out.println(Usage: java Mathematics <number1> <number2>);

}
System.out.println(Back to Main);
}
}

The method divide(int,int) now includes the throws clause that informs the calling method that
divide(int,int) may throw an ArithmeticException. Within divide(int,int), the code
checks for the value of num2. If it is equal to zero, it creates an instance of ArithmeticException
using the new keyword with the error message as an argument. The throw keyword throws the instance
to the caller.
Within the main() method, an instance, objMath is used to invoke the divide(int,int) method.
However, this time, the code is written within the try block since divide(int,int) may throw an
ArithmeticException that the main() method will have to handle within its catch block.
Figure 12.6 shows the output of the program when user specifies 12 as numerator and 0 as
denominator.

Figure 12.6: Using throw and throws Keywords

The figure shows that upon execution of the code, the if condition becomes true and it throws the
ArithmeticException. The control returns back to the caller, that is, the main() method where it is
finally handled. The catch block was executed and the result of getMessage() is displayed to the user.
Notice, that the remaining statement of the divide(int,int) method is not executed in this case.

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 439 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

Figure 12.7 shows the execution of the code when throw and throws clauses are used.

Figure 12.7: Execution of Code Using throw and throws Keywords

The figure shows that the method divide(int,int) is invoked within the try block in main()method.
Inside the method, the ArithmeticException exception is thrown. The control is then transferred to
the catch block of the main() method that prints the output of getMessage() method and executes
the rest of the code of the main() method. However, remaining statements of the divide(int,int)
method are not executed.

12.3.4 Multiple catch Blocks

The user can associate multiple exception handlers with a try block by providing more than one catch
blocks directly after the try block. The syntax for declaring a try block with multiple catch blocks is as
follows:
Syntax:
try
{}
Concepts

catch (<exception-type> <object-name>)

{}
catch (<exception-type> <object-name>)
{}

440 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

In this case, each catch block is an exception handler that handles a specific type of exception indicated
by its argument exception-type. The catch block consists of the code that must be executed if and when
the exception handler is invoked.
The runtime system invokes the handler in the call stack whose exception-type matches the type of the
exception thrown. Code Snippet 4 demonstrates the use of multiple catch blocks.
Code Snippet 4:

package session12;
public class Calculate {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {

// Check the number of command line arguments

if (args.length == 2){

try {

// Perform the division operation

int num3 = Integer.parseInt(args[0]) / Integer.parseInt(args[1]);
System.out.println(Division is: +num3);
}
catch (ArithmeticException e) { // Catch the ArithmeticException
System.out.println(Error: + e.getMessage());
}
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 441 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

catch (NumberFormatException e){ // Catch the NumberFormatException

System.out.println(Error: Required Integer found String: +
e.getMessage());
}
catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println(Error: + e.getMessage());
}
}
else {
System.out.println(Usage: java Calculate <number1> <number2>);
}
}
}

The class Calculate consists of the main() method. Within main() method, the try block performs
division of two values specified by the user. As seen earlier, the division may lead to a divide-by-zero error.
Therefore, a corresponding catch block that handles ArithmeticException has been created.
However, one can identify another type of exception also that might be raised, that is,
NumberFormatException. This may happen if the user specifies a string instead of a number that
cannot be converted to integer using Integer.parseInt() method. Therefore, another catch block
to handle the NumberFormatException has been specified.
Notice that the last catch block with Exception class handles any other exception that might occur in
the code. Since, Exception class is the parent of all exceptions, it must be used in the last catch block.
If Exception class is used with the first catch block, it will handle all the exceptions and the other
catch blocks, that is, ArithmeticException and NumberFormatException blocks will never be
invoked. In other words, when multiple catch blocks are used, catch blocks with exception subclasses
must be placed before the super classes, otherwise the super class exception will catch exceptions of the
same class as well as its subclasses. Consequently, catch blocks with exception subclasses will never be
reached.
Figure 12.8 shows the output of the code when user specifies 12 and 0 as arguments.
Concepts

Figure 12.8: Output with 12 and 0 as Arguments

442 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

Figure 12.9 shows the output of the code when user specifies 12 and zero as arguments.

Figure 12.9: Output with 12 and zero as Arguments

Figure 12.10 shows the execution of the code when multiple catch blocks are used.

Figure 12.10: Execution of Code Using Multiple catch Blocks

The figure shows that the first catch block is not capable of handling the exception. Therefore, the
runtime looks further into another catch block. This is also known as bubbling of exception. That is,
the exception is propagated further like a bubble. Here, it finds a matching catch block that handles
NumberFormatException. The catch block is executed and appropriate message is displayed to the
user. Once a match is found, the remaining catch blocks are ignored, and execution proceeds after the
last catch block.
Concepts

12.3.5 finally Block

Java provides the finally block to ensure execution of certain statements even when an exception
occurs. The finally block is always executed irrespective of whether or not an exception occurs in the
try block. This ensures that the cleanup code is not accidentally bypassed by a return, break, or
continue statement. Thus, writing cleanup code in a finally block is considered a good practice even
when no exceptions are anticipated.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 443 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

The finally block is mainly used as a tool to prevent resource leaks. Tasks such as closing a file and
network connection, closing input-output streams, or recovering resources, must be done in a finally
block to ensure that a resource is recovered even if an exception occurs.
However, if due to some reason, the JVM exits while executing the try or catch block, then the finally
block may not execute. Similarly, if a thread executing the try or catch block gets interrupted or killed,
the finally block may not execute even though the application continues to execute. The syntax for
declaring try-catch blocks with a finally block is as follows:
Syntax:
try
{
// statements that may raise exception
// statement 1
// statement 2
}
catch(<exception-type> <object-name>)
{
// handling exception
// error message
}
finally
{
// clean-up code
// statement 1
// statement 2
}
Code Snippet 5 demonstrates the modified class Calculate using the finally block.
Code Snippet 5:

package session12;
Concepts

public class Calculate {

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/

444 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

public static void main(String[] args) {

// Check the number of command line arguments
if (args.length == 2) {

try {
int num3 = Integer.parseInt(args[0])/ Integer.parseInt(args[1]);
System.out.println(Division is: +num3);
}
catch (ArithmeticException e) {
System.out.println(Error: + e.getMessage());
}
catch (NumberFormatException e) {
System.out.println(Error: Required Integer found String: +
e.getMessage());
}
catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println(Error: + e.getMessage());
}
finally {
// Write the clean-up code for closing files, streams, and network
//connections
System.out.println(Executing Cleanup Code. Please Wait...);
System.out.println(All resources closed.);
}
}
else {
System.out.println(Usage: java Calculate <number1> <number2>);
Concepts

}
}
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 445 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

Within the class Calculate, finally block is included after the last catch block. In this case, even
if an exception occurs in the code, the finally block statements will be executed. Figure 12.11 shows
the output of the code after using finally block when user passes 12 and zero as command line
arguments.

Figure 12.11: Output After Using finally Block

Figure 12.12 shows the execution of code when finally block is used.
Concepts

Figure 12.12: Execution of Code Using finally Block

The figure shows that after handling the exception in the second catch block, the control is transferred
to the finally block. The statements of the finally block get executed and the program execution is
completed.

446 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

12.4 Guidelines for Handling Exceptions

Guidelines to be followed for handling exceptions are as follows:

The try statement must be followed by at least one catch or a finally block.

Use the throw statement to throw an exception that a method does not handle by itself along
with the throws clause in the method declaration.

The finally block must be used to write clean up code.

The Exception subclasses should be used when the caller of the method is expected to handle
the exception. The compiler will raise an error message if the caller does not handle the exception.

Subclasses of RuntimeException class can be used to indicate programming errors such as

IllegalArgumentException, UnsupportedOperationException, and so on.

Avoid using the java.lang.Exception or java.lang.Throwable class to catch exceptions

that cannot be handled. Since, Error and Exception class can catch all exception of its
subclasses including RuntimeException, the runtime behavior of such a code often becomes
vague when global exception classes are caught. For example, one would not want to catch the
OutOfMemoryError. How can one possible handle such an exception?

Provide appropriate message along with the default message when an exception occurs. All
necessary data must be passed to the constructor of the exception class which can be helpful to
understand and solve the problem.

Try to handle the exception as near to the source code as possible. If the caller can perform the
corrective action, the condition must be rectified there itself. Propagating the exception further
away from the source leads to difficulty in tracing the source of the exception.

Exceptions should not be used to indicate normal branching conditions that may alter the flow of
code invocation. For example, a method that is designed to return a zero, one, or an object can be
modified to return null instead of raising an exception when it does not return any of the
specified values. However, a disconnected database is a critical situation for which no alternative
can be provided. In such a case, exception must be raised.
Concepts

Repeated re-throwing of the same exception must be avoided as it may slow down programs that
are known for frequently raising exceptions.

Avoid writing an empty catch block as it will not inform anything to the user and it gives the
impression that the program failed for unknown reasons.

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 447 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

12.5 Check Your Progress

1. _______ are exceptions that are external to the application that it cannot anticipate nor recover
from.

(A) Exception (C) Interrupt

(B) Error (D) Fault

2. Which of the following statements about exceptions are true?

An exception can occur due to

An appropriate exception handler
programming errors, client code
a. c. is one that handles all types of
errors, or errors that are beyond
exceptions.
the control of a program.
If a handler is not found in the
The exception object holds
method in which the error occurred,
information about the type of
b. d. the runtime proceeds through the
error and state of the program
call stack in the same order in which
when the error occurred.
the methods were invoked.

(A) a, d (C) b, c

(B) a, b (D) b, d
Concepts

448 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

3. Match the following exception types with their corresponding description.

Exception Description

Occurs on access to a null object

a. ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException 1.
member.
Occurs upon an attempt to
b. IllegalArgumentException 2. create instance of an abstract
class.
Occurs if an array index is less
c. NullPointerException 3. than zero or greater than the
actual size of the array.
Occurs if method receives an
d. InstantiationException 4.
illegal argument.

(A) a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3 (C) a-2, b-3, c-4, d-1

(B) a-4, b-1, c-3, d-2 (D) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2

4. Consider the following code:

public class Book {
String bookId;
String type;
String author;

public Book(String bookId, String type, String author) {

this.bookId = bookId;
this.type = type;
this.author = author;
}
public void displayDetails(){
Concepts

System.out.println(Book Id: +bookId);

System.out.println(Book Type: +type);
System.out.println(Author: +author);
}

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 449 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

public static void main(String[] args) {

Book objBook1= new Book(args[1],args[2],args[3]);
objBook1.displayDetails();
}
}

What will be the output of the code when user passes B001, Thriller, and James-Hadley
as the command line arguments?

java.lang.
(A) Compilation Error (C) ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException

Book Id: B001 Book Id: null

(B) Book Type: Thriller (D) Book Type: null
Author: James-Hadley Author: null

5. Identify the method of Exception class that returns the result of getMessage() along with the
name of the exception class concatenated to it.

(A) public Throwable getCause() (C) public String getMessage()

public void
(B) (D) public String toString()
printStackTrace()
Concepts

450 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

6. Consider the following code:

public class Cart
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
String[] shopCart = new String[4];
System.out.println(shopCart[1].charAt(1));
}
}

Which type of exception will be raised when the code is executed?

java.lang.
(A) java.lang.NullPointerException (C) StringIndexOutOfBounds
Exception
java.lang. java.lang.
(B) ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException (D) IllegalArgumentException

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 451 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

12.5.1 Answers
1. B
2. B
3. D
4. C
5. D
6. A
Concepts

452 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

Summary
An exception is an event or an abnormal condition in a program occurring during execution of a
program that leads to disruption of the normal flow of the program instructions.
The process of creating an exception object and passing it to the runtime system is termed as
throwing an exception.
An appropriate exception handler is one that handles the same type of exception as the one
thrown by the method.
Checked exceptions are exceptions that a well-written application must anticipate and provide
methods to recover from.
Errors are exceptions that are external to the application and the application usually cannot
anticipate or recover from errors.
Runtime Exceptions are exceptions that are internal to the application from which the application
usually cannot anticipate or recover from.
Throwable class is the base class of all the exception classes and has two direct subclasses namely,
Exception and Error.
The try block is a block of code which might raise an exception and catch block is a block of code
used to handle a particular type of exception.
The user can associate multiple exception handlers with a try block by providing more than one
catch blocks directly after the try block.
Java provides the throw and throws keywords to explicitly raise an exception in the main()
method.
Java provides the finally block to ensure execution of cleanup code even when an exception
occurs.
Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 453 of 456

 12
Session Exceptions

Try it Yourself
1. Data Informatics Ltd. is a well-known business outsourcing company located in New Jersey, USA.
The company hires workforce for data entry projects. Recently, the company has created its own
data entry software. However, the software is not functioning properly. The software does not check
the number of values the user is entering nor provides appropriate message to the user if some
functionality is not working and simply terminates the application.
The company has hired a developer to fix the issue. The developer has created the following sample
code to handle ArithmeticException and ArrayIndexOutOfBounds exceptions.
public class Tester {

public static void main(String[] args)

{
int sum = 0;
final int grace = 20;
try{

for(int i = 0;i < 5;i++){

sum = sum + Integer.parseInt(args[i]);
}

int perGrace=grace*100/sum;
System.out.println(Sum is:+sum);
System.out.println(Percentage grace is:+perGrace);
}
catch(Exception ex) {
Concepts

System.out.println(Error in code);
}

454 of 456 V 1.0 Aptech Limited

 12
Session Exceptions

catch(ArithmeticException ex) {
System.out.println(Division by zero);
}
catch(ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException ex) {
System.out.println(Unreachable array index);
}
}
}

However, the code is not functioning properly and showing the error java.lang.
ArithmeticException has already been caught. Fix the code to handle the
ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException when user passes 3, 4, and 5 as command line arguments
and display the following message:
Unreachable array index

Concepts

V 1.0 Aptech Limited 455 of 456



Practice is the best
of all instructors