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Java Class Attributes: Example

Class attributes, also known as fields, are variables declared within a class that can be accessed using dot notation on an object of that class. Attributes can be modified by assigning new values to them using the object reference. Multiple objects of the same class each have their own copies of attributes, so changing an attribute value for one object does not affect other objects of that class.

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56 views5 pages

Java Class Attributes: Example

Class attributes, also known as fields, are variables declared within a class that can be accessed using dot notation on an object of that class. Attributes can be modified by assigning new values to them using the object reference. Multiple objects of the same class each have their own copies of attributes, so changing an attribute value for one object does not affect other objects of that class.

Uploaded by

Bogdan Chindris
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Java Class Attributes

In the previous chapter, we used the term "variable" for x in the example (as
shown below). It is actually an attribute of the class. Or you could say that
class attributes are variables within a class:

Example
Create a class called "Main" with two attributes: x and y:

public class Main {

int x = 5;

int y = 3;

}
Another term for class attributes is fields.

Accessing Attributes
You can access attributes by creating an object of the class, and by using the
dot syntax (.):

The following example will create an object of the Main class, with the


name myObj. We use the x attribute on the object to print its value:

Example
Create an object called "myObj" and print the value of x:

public class Main {

int x = 5;

public static void main(String[] args) {

Main myObj = new Main();


System.out.println(myObj.x);

Try it Yourself »

Modify Attributes
You can also modify attribute values:

Example
Set the value of x to 40:

public class Main {

int x;

public static void main(String[] args) {

Main myObj = new Main();

myObj.x = 40;

System.out.println(myObj.x);

Try it Yourself »

Or override existing values:


Example
Change the value of x to 25:

public class Main {

int x = 10;

public static void main(String[] args) {

Main myObj = new Main();

myObj.x = 25; // x is now 25

System.out.println(myObj.x);

Try it Yourself »

If you don't want the ability to override existing values, declare the attribute
as final:

Example
public class Main {

final int x = 10;

public static void main(String[] args) {

Main myObj = new Main();

myObj.x = 25; // will generate an error: cannot assign a value to a


final variable

System.out.println(myObj.x);

}
}

Try it Yourself »
The final keyword is useful when you want a variable to always store the same
value, like PI (3.14159...).

The final keyword is called a "modifier". You will learn more about these in


the Java Modifiers Chapter.

Multiple Objects
If you create multiple objects of one class, you can change the attribute values
in one object, without affecting the attribute values in the other:

Example
Change the value of x to 25 in myObj2, and leave x in myObj1 unchanged:

public class Main {

int x = 5;

public static void main(String[] args) {

Main myObj1 = new Main(); // Object 1

Main myObj2 = new Main(); // Object 2

myObj2.x = 25;

System.out.println(myObj1.x); // Outputs 5

System.out.println(myObj2.x); // Outputs 25

}
Multiple Attributes
You can specify as many attributes as you want:

Example
public class Main {

String fname = "John";

String lname = "Doe";

int age = 24;

public static void main(String[] args) {

Main myObj = new Main();

System.out.println("Name: " + myObj.fname + " " + myObj.lname);

System.out.println("Age: " + myObj.age);

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