Lecture – 9
Immutable Classes and
String as Immutable Class
Mutable Classes
• mutation: A modification to the state of an object.
• Objects can be mutable or immutable, depending on whether
they can be changed after they are created.
• Mutable classes are classes whose instances can be changed
after they are created.
– Examples of mutable classes in Java include ArrayList, StringBuilder,
and HashMap.
4-2
Immutable Classes
• immutable: Unable to be changed (mutated).
– Basic idea: A class with no "set" methods (mutators).
• In Java, Strings are immutable.
– Many methods appear to "modify" a string.
– But actually, they create and return a new string (producers).
4-3
"Modifying" strings
• What is the output of this code?
String name = "pakistan";
name.toUpperCase();
System.out.println(name);
• The code outputs pakistan in lowercase.
• To capitalize it, we must reassign the string:
name = name.toUpperCase();
– The toUpperCase method is a producer, not a mutator.
If Strings were mutable...
• What could go wrong if strings were mutable?
public Employee(String name, ...) {
this.name = name;
...
}
public String getName() {
return name;
}
– A client could accidentally damage the Employee's name.
String s = myEmployee.getName();
s.substring(0, s.indexOf(" ")); // first name
s.toUpperCase();
Making a class immutable
• Don't provide any methods that modify the object's state.
• Declare the class as final (class cannot be extended)(later)
• Make all fields final.
• Make all fields private. (ensure encapsulation)
• Ensure exclusive access to any mutable object fields.
– Don't let a client get a reference to a field that is a mutable
object(Example Student dateCreated).
Mutable Fraction class
public class Fraction {
private int numerator, denominator;
public Fraction(int n)
public Fraction(int n, int d)
public int getNumerator(), getDenominator()
public void add(Fraction other) {
numerator = numerator * other.denominator
+ other.numerator * denominator;
denominator = denominator * other.denominator;
}
}
Immutable methods
// mutable version
public void add(Fraction other) {
numerator = numerator * other.denominator
+ other.numerator * denominator;
denominator = denominator * other.denominator;
}
// immutable version
public Fraction add(Fraction other) {
int n = numerator * other.denominator
+ other.numerator * denominator;
int d = denominator * other.denominator;
return new Fraction(n, d);
}
• former mutators become producers
– create/return a new immutable object rather than modifying this one
