2/12/2020

Lab 4:
Postoffice

Objectives

● Make your own user-defined classes

● Write a client program (with main method) that uses your class
● Understand the difference between client class and implementation class

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User-Defined Classes
● Used to create an Abstract Data Type
○ Meaning a data type built off other data types to represent a real world
thing, like Ice Cream or a Shopper
● Then, you can use that data type in a client program (the one with the main
method)
● Common Parts to a User-Defined Class
○ Attributes
○ Constructor
○ Setters
○ Getters
○ Extra Methods
○ Helper Methods

User-Defined Classes

● With these parts in mind, I

recommend starting to write your
class like you can see to the right
● This will remind you the steps you
need to take to write your class
● It is also an effective way to apply
pseudocode to your class!

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Attributes

● Remember:
○ An object is a bunch of data hidden behind the scenes and methods to operate on that data
○ A class is a blueprint for making an object
● That “bunch of data” is called the group of attributes for that class
○ A.k.a. Instance variables
● Attributes are variables that describe the characteristics of whatever the
object represents
● When defining attributes for a class
○ For your purposes they have private access
○ They are only declared - do not assign them until the constructor!
● I will be using a Chair class for the rest of my examples

Attributes

● Each attribute (instance variable) is private - cannot be accessed outside of

this file
● Each attribute has a type (as all variables need in Java)
● Each attribute has an identifier (as all variables need in pretty much any
language
● NONE of these are assigned values yet, until...

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Constructors

● You’ve used them for other objects a lot by now… time to make your own!
● Remember how you didn’t assign value to the attributes (instance variables)?
○ It’s the constructor’s job!
● The constructor will assign values to the instance variables and do any other
actions required for the beginning of an object
○ E.g. the Scanner object’s constructor probably does some additional stuff behind the scenes to
connect to the keyboard to read user input
● You can declare parameters to take additional information, or you can not
○ Gives information that affects how the constructor does its job
● You can have multiple constructors
○ If they take different parameters, Java sees them as different entities and allows both to exist

Constructors
● Constructors are always public
(unlike attributes)
● Always match the constructor
name with the name of the class
(see examples on last slide, too)
● See how the attributes can be
used because they are defined
above
● See how the parameters can be
used as if already initialized

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Methods

● Pieces of code tied together by a method identifier

● When that method identifier is invoked, the code will execute
● Requires:
○ An access modifier (usually public or private) to say where the method can be used
○ A return type (int if an integer variable is returned, could be char, String, and is void if nothing
is returned
○ An identifier like a variable name to call when you want to run the method later
○ A set of parameters if outside information needs to be passed along to the method so it can
perform its job
○ Finally, the code that will be executed when that method is called.

Setters
● Setters allow the program using the objects to set the instance variable
values, changing the state of the object
● Works like the constructor in terms of setting the data, but happens AFTER
the constructor has been called and the object exists
● Needs a public access modifier
● After public, write void
○ This just means the call to the setter method won’t return a value (void as in nothing)
● Give the method an identifier (usually setSomething(type parameter, …))
● Setters need parameters so they can receive information to change the
attributes

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Setters
● For our chair example, here are the setters
● Notice the indentation as file grows
○ Underrated
○ Makes code easy to read
○ Is considered good practice to indent properly
● Notice the words before the function is defined
● Notice the name of each function
○ Starts lower case
○ Camel case (capitalize each word’s first letter)
○ A format of setAttribute()
● Notice how attributes and parameters are used

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Getters
● Getters are class methods that you can
invoke on an object of that class to get
information about the attributes
● Shouldn’t need parameters
● Uses the keyword return to give
information back to where it was called
● Some of the simplest methods to write
● Getters need an access modifier of public
to be accessed other places and the return
type so Java knows how to compile where
this method is used

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Additional Methods

● Using rules of how to write

methods, you can write a method to
do any abstract action to the object
being represented
● For the chair example, something
abstract that can happen to the
chair is that coffee is spilled
○ We can represent the effect by modifying
the attributes of the object!

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Ta-Da! The Chair class is complete!

Notice there is NO main method here

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Implementation vs. Interface

● Implementation is the way a class is made, usually behind the scenes,
usually you have no knowledge of how (like Scanner or Random)
○ When you write a user-defined class, that is the class’s implementation
● Interface is the use of the class’s public methods in another class
● A Client class is used to test and use the other classes you implement
● When you make a class that will make an object, there should NOT be a main
method
● You should write a client class that has the main method
○ Only classes with a main method can be run
○ Your code must be in a main method for you to run it
● Once in your client, use your now user-defined class to make objects just like
you did in past labs with Scanner, Point, and Random

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Client Class

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Submission
● One zipped folder per group
○ lastNameLastNameLab4.zip
○ Put only source code (.java files) in the folder, like in past labs
○ You should have IceCream.java, Shopper.java, and Lab4Client.java (or a similarly named
client class)
● Use a comment to put your names in the source files
● Upload the zipped folder with only the source files to Blackboard
● If you need help with how to do submission, ask us
● If you need help at all, ask us
● The TAs want to help you
○ Come to office hours if you need help with the class or want to know anything at all really
about CS 115 topics

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