Chapter 13 Abstract Classes and Interfaces

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 Motivations
• You have learned how to write simple programs to
create and display GUI components. Can you
write the code to respond to user actions, such as
clicking a button to perform an action?
• In order to write such code, you have to know
about interfaces. An interface is for defining
common behavior for classes (including unrelated
classes). Before discussing interfaces, we
introduce a closely related subject: abstract
classes.
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 Objectives
To design and use abstract classes (§13.2).
To generalise numeric wrapper classes, BigInteger, and BigDecimal
using the abstract Number class (§13.3).
To process a calendar using the Calendar and GregorianCalendar
classes (§13.4).
To specify common behaviour for objects using interfaces (§13.5).
To define interfaces and define classes that implement interfaces
(§13.5).
To define a natural order using the Comparable interface (§13.6).
To make objects cloneable using the Cloneable interface (§13.7).
To explore the similarities and differences among concrete classes,
abstract classes, and interfaces (§13.8).
To design the Rational class for processing rational numbers (§13.9).
To design classes that follow the class-design guidelines (§13.10).

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Abstract Classes and Abstract Methods

GeometricObject

Circle

Rectangle

TestGeometricObject

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public abstract class GeometricObject { public class Circle extends GeometricObject {
/** All extra Attributes, Constructors and
/** All Attributes, Constructors and * subclass methods
* concrete methods .
. .
. */
.
*/ @Override /** Return area */
public double getArea() {
/** Abstract method getArea */ return radius * radius * Math.PI;
public abstract double getArea(); }

/** Abstract method getPerimeter */ /** Return diameter */

public abstract double getPerimeter(); public double getDiameter() {
} return 2 * radius;
}
public class Rectangle extends GeometricObject {
@Override /** Return perimeter */
/** All extra Attributes, Constructors and
public double getPerimeter() {
* subclass methods
return 2 * radius * Math.PI;
.
. }
}
*/
@Override /** Return area */
public double getArea() {
return width * height;
}

@Override /** Return perimeter */

public double getPerimeter() {
return 2 * (width + height);
}
}
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 abstract method in abstract class
An abstract method cannot be contained in a
nonabstract class. If a subclass of an abstract
superclass does not implement all the abstract
methods, the subclass must be defined abstract. In
other words, in a nonabstract subclass extended from
an abstract class, all the abstract methods must be
implemented, even if they are not used in the
subclass.

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object cannot be created from abstract class

An abstract class cannot be instantiated using

the new operator, but you can still define its
constructors, which are invoked in the
constructors of its subclasses. For instance,
the constructors of GeometricObject are
invoked in the Circle class and the Rectangle
class.

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abstract class without abstract method

A class that contains abstract methods must

be abstract. However, it is possible to define
an abstract class that contains no abstract
methods. In this case, you cannot create
instances of the class using the new operator.
This class is used as a base class for defining
a new subclass.

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superclass of abstract class may be concrete

A subclass can be abstract even if its

superclass is concrete. For example, the
Object class is concrete, but its subclasses,
such as GeometricObject, may be abstract.

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concrete method overridden to be abstract

A subclass can override a method from its

superclass to define it abstract. This is rare,
but useful when the implementation of the
method in the superclass becomes invalid in
the subclass. In this case, the subclass must be
defined abstract.

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 abstract class as type
You cannot create an instance from an abstract
class using the new operator, but an abstract
class can be used as a data type. Therefore, the
following statement, which creates an array
whose elements are of GeometricObject type,
is correct.
GeometricObject[] geo = new GeometricObject[10];

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11
Case Study: the Abstract Number Class

LargestNumbers

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The Abstract Calendar Class and Its
GregorianCalendar subclass

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 The Abstract Calendar Class and Its
GregorianCalendar subclass
An instance of java.util.Date represents a specific
instant in time with millisecond precision.
java.util.Calendar is an abstract base class for
extracting detailed information such as year, month,
date, hour, minute and second from a Date object.
Subclasses of Calendar can implement specific
calendar systems such as Gregorian calendar, Lunar
Calendar. Currently, java.util.GregorianCalendar for
the Gregorian calendar is supported in the Java API.

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 The GregorianCalendar Class
You can use new GregorianCalendar() to construct a
default GregorianCalendar with the current time and
use new GregorianCalendar(year, month, date) to
construct a GregorianCalendar with the specified
year, month, and date. The month parameter is 0-
based, i.e., 0 is for January.

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 The get Method in Calendar Class
The get(int field) method defined in the Calendar class is useful to
extract the date and time information from a Calendar object. The fields
are defined as constants, as shown in the following.

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Getting Date/Time Information from Calendar
TestCalendar
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Construct a Gregorian calendar for the current date and time
Calendar calendar = new GregorianCalendar();
System.out.println("Current time is " + new Date());
System.out.println("YEAR:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.YEAR));
System.out.println("MONTH:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.MONTH));
System.out.println("DATE:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.DATE));
System.out.println("HOUR:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.HOUR));
System.out.println("HOUR_OF_DAY:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY));
System.out.println("MINUTE:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.MINUTE));
System.out.println("SECOND:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.SECOND));
System.out.println("DAY_OF_WEEK:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_WEEK));
System.out.println("DAY_OF_MONTH:\t" + calendar.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH));
System.out.println("DAY_OF_YEAR: " + calendar.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_YEAR));
System.out.println("WEEK_OF_MONTH: " + calendar.get(Calendar.WEEK_OF_MONTH));
System.out.println("WEEK_OF_YEAR: " + calendar.get(Calendar.WEEK_OF_YEAR));
System.out.println("AM_PM: " + calendar.get(Calendar.AM_PM));

// Construct a calendar for September 11, 2001

Calendar calendar1 = new GregorianCalendar(2001, 8, 11);
System.out.println("September 11, 2001 is a " +
dayNameOfWeek(calendar1.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_WEEK)));
}

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 Interfaces
What is an interface?
Why is an interface useful?
How do you define an interface?
How do you use an interface?

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 What is an interface?
Why is an interface useful?
An interface is a classlike construct that contains
only constants and abstract methods. In many ways,
an interface is similar to an abstract class, but the
intent of an interface is to specify common behavior
for objects. For example, you can specify that the
objects are comparable, edible, cloneable using
appropriate interfaces.

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 Define an Interface
To distinguish an interface from a class, Java uses the
following syntax to define an interface:
public interface InterfaceName {
constant declarations;
abstract method signatures;
}

Example:
public interface Edible {
/** Describe how to eat */
public abstract String howToEat();
}

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 Interface is a Special Class
An interface is treated like a special class in Java.
Each interface is compiled into a separate bytecode
file, just like a regular class. Like an abstract class,
you cannot create an instance from an interface
using the new operator, but in most cases you can
use an interface more or less the same way you use
an abstract class. For example, you can use an
interface as a data type for a variable, as the result
of casting, and so on.

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 Example
You can now use the Edible interface to specify whether an object
is edible. This is accomplished by letting the class for the object
implement this interface using the implements keyword. For
example, the classes Chicken and Fruit implement the Edible
interface (See TestEdible).

Edible TestEdible

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 public interface Edible {
/** Describe how to eat */
public abstract String howToEat();
} abstract class Animal {
/** Return animal sound */
public abstract String sound();
}

abstract class Fruit implements Edible { class Chicken extends Animal implements Edible {
// Data fields, constructors, and methods @Override
omitted here public String howToEat() {
} return "Chicken: Fry it";
}

@Override
class Apple extends Fruit { public String sound() {
@Override return "Chicken: cock-a-doodle-doo";
public String howToEat() { }
return "Apple: Make apple cider"; }
}
}
class Tiger extends Animal {
@Override
class Orange extends Fruit {
public String sound() {
@Override
return "Tiger: RROOAARR";
public String howToEat() {
}
return "Orange: Make orange juice";
}
}
}

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 Omitting Modifiers in Interfaces
All data fields are public final static and all methods are public
abstract in an interface. For this reason, these modifiers can be
omitted, as shown below:

public interface T1 { public interface T1 {

public static final int K = 1; Equivalent int K = 1;

public abstract void p(); void p();

} }

A constant defined in an interface can be accessed using syntax

InterfaceName.CONSTANT_NAME (e.g., T1.K).

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 Example: The Comparable Interface

// This interface is defined in

// java.lang package
package java.lang;

public interface Comparable<E> {

public int compareTo(E o);
}

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The toString, equals, and hashCode Methods

Each wrapper class overrides the toString,

equals, and hashCode methods defined in the
Object class. Since all the numeric wrapper
classes and the Character class implement the
Comparable interface, the compareTo method
is implemented in these classes.

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 Integer and BigInteger Classes
public class Integer extends Number public class BigInteger extends Number
implements Comparable<Integer> { implements Comparable<BigInteger> {
// class body omitted // class body omitted

@Override @Override
public int compareTo(Integer o) { public int compareTo(BigInteger o) {
// Implementation omitted // Implementation omitted
} }
} }

String and Date Classes

public class String extends Object public class Date extends Object
implements Comparable<String> { implements Comparable<Date> {
// class body omitted // class body omitted

@Override @Override
public int compareTo(String o) { public int compareTo(Date o) {
// Implementation omitted // Implementation omitted
} }
} }

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 Example
System.out.println(new Integer(3).compareTo(new Integer(5)));
System.out.println("ABC".compareTo("ABE"));
System.out.println("ABC".compareTo("ACE"));
java.util.Date date1 = new java.util.Date(2013, 1, 1);
java.util.Date date2 = new java.util.Date(2012, 1, 1);
System.out.println(date1.compareTo(date2));

-1
-2
-1
1

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 Generic sort Method

Let n be an Integer object, s be a String object, and

d be a Date object. All the following expressions are
true.
n instanceof Integer s instanceof String d instanceof java.util.Date
n instanceof Object s instanceof Object d instanceof Object
n instanceof Comparable s instanceof Comparable d instanceof Comparable

The java.util.Arrays.sort(array) method requires that

the elements in an array are instances of
Comparable<E>.
SortComparableObjects

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public static void main(String[] args) {
String[] cities = {"Savannah", "Boston", "Atlanta", "Tampa"};
java.util.Arrays.sort(cities);
for (String city: cities)
System.out.print(city + " ");
System.out.println();

BigInteger[] hugeNumbers = {new BigInteger("2323231092923992"),

new BigInteger("432232323239292"),
new BigInteger("54623239292")};
java.util.Arrays.sort(hugeNumbers);
for (BigInteger number: hugeNumbers)
System.out.print(number + " ");
}

Atlanta Boston Savannah Tampa

54623239292 432232323239292 2323231092923992

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Defining Classes to Implement Comparable

ComparableRectangle SortRectangles

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public class ComparableRectangle extends Rectangle
implements Comparable<ComparableRectangle> {
/** Construct a ComparableRectangle with specified properties */
public ComparableRectangle(double width, double height) {
super(width, height);
}

@Override // Implement the compareTo method defined in Comparable

public int compareTo(ComparableRectangle o) {
if (getArea() > o.getArea())
return 1; Width: 3.4 Height: 5.4 Area: 18.36
else if (getArea() < o.getArea()) Width: 1.4 Height: 25.4 Area: 35.559999999999995
return -1; Width: 7.4 Height: 35.4 Area: 261.96
else Width: 13.24 Height: 55.4 Area: 733.496
return 0;
}

@Override // Implement the toString method in GeometricObject

public String toString() {
return "Width: " + getWidth() + " Height: " + getHeight() +
" Area: " + getArea();
}
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
ComparableRectangle[] rectangles = { new ComparableRectangle(3.4, 5.4),
new ComparableRectangle(13.24, 55.4),
new ComparableRectangle(7.4, 35.4),
new ComparableRectangle(1.4, 25.4)};
java.util.Arrays.sort(rectangles);
for (Rectangle rectangle: rectangles) {
System.out.print(rectangle + " ");
System.out.println();
}
}
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 The Cloneable Interfaces
Marker Interface: An empty interface.
A marker interface does not contain constants or methods.
It is used to denote that a class possesses certain desirable
properties. A class that implements the Cloneable interface
is marked cloneable, and its objects can be cloned using
the clone() method defined in the Object class.

package java.lang;
public interface Cloneable {
}

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 Examples
Many classes (e.g., Date and Calendar) in the Java library implement
Cloneable. Thus, the instances of these classes can be cloned. For
example, the following code

Calendar calendar = new GregorianCalendar(2003, 2, 1);

Calendar calendarCopy = (Calendar)calendar.clone();
System.out.println("calendar == calendarCopy is " +
(calendar == calendarCopy));
System.out.println("calendar.equals(calendarCopy) is " +
calendar.equals(calendarCopy));

displays
calendar == calendarCopy is false
calendar.equals(calendarCopy) is true

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 Implementing Cloneable Interface
To define a custom class that implements the Cloneable
interface, the class must override the clone() method in the
Object class. The following code defines a class named
House that implements Cloneable and Comparable.

House

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 Shallow vs. Deep Copy
House house1 = new House(1, 1750.50);
House house2 = (House)house1.clone();

Shallow
Copy

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 Shallow vs. Deep Copy
House house1 = new House(1, 1750.50);
House house2 = (House)house1.clone();

Deep
Copy

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@Override /** Override the protected clone method defined in
the Object class, and strengthen its accessibility */
public Object clone() {
// Perform a shallow copy
House houseClone = new House(id, area);
// Deep copy on whenBuilt
houseClone.whenBuilt = new java.util.Date();
houseClone.getWhenBuilt().setTime(whenBuilt.getTime());
return houseClone;
}

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 Interfaces vs. Abstract Classes
In an interface, the data must be constants; an abstract class can have
all types of data.
Each method in an interface has only a signature without
implementation; an abstract class can have concrete methods.

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 Interfaces vs. Abstract Classes, cont.
All classes share a single root, the Object class, but there is no single root for
interfaces. Like a class, an interface also defines a type. A variable of an interface
type can reference any instance of the class that implements the interface. If a class
implements an interface, this interface plays the same role as a superclass. You can
use an interface as a data type and cast a variable of an interface type to its subclass,
and vice versa.

Suppose that c is an instance of Class2. c is also an instance of Object, Class1,

Interface1, Interface1_1, Interface1_2, Interface2_1, and Interface2_2.
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 Caution: conflict interfaces
In rare occasions, a class may implement two interfaces
with conflict information (e.g., two same constants with
different values or two methods with same signature but
different return type). This type of errors will be detected
by the compiler.

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 Whether to use an interface or a class?
Abstract classes and interfaces can both be used to model
common features. How do you decide whether to use an
interface or a class? In general, a strong is-a relationship that
clearly describes a parent-child relationship should be modeled
using classes. For example, a staff member is a person. A weak
is-a relationship, also known as an is-kind-of relationship,
indicates that an object possesses a certain property. A weak is-a
relationship can be modeled using interfaces. For example, all
strings are comparable, so the String class implements the
Comparable interface. You can also use interfaces to
circumvent single inheritance restriction if multiple inheritance
is desired. In the case of multiple inheritance, you have to
design one as a superclass, and others as interface.

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 The Rational Class

Rational TestRationalClass
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 Designing a Class
(Coherence) A class should describe a single entity,
and all the class operations should logically fit
together to support a coherent purpose. You can use a
class for students, for example, but you should not
combine students and staff in the same class, because
students and staff have different entities.

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 Designing a Class, cont.
(Separating responsibilities) A single entity with too
many responsibilities can be broken into several classes
to separate responsibilities. The classes String,
StringBuilder, and StringBuffer all deal with strings, for
example, but have different responsibilities. The String
class deals with immutable strings, the StringBuilder
class is for creating mutable strings, and the StringBuffer
class is similar to StringBuilder except that StringBuffer
contains synchronized methods for updating strings.

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Loose Coupling - High Cohesion

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 Designing a Class, cont.
Classes are designed for reuse. Users can incorporate
classes in many different combinations, orders, and
environments. Therefore, you should design a class
that imposes no restrictions on what or when the user
can do with it, design the properties to ensure that the
user can set properties in any order, with any
combination of values, and design methods to function
independently of their order of occurrence.

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 Designing a Class, cont.
Provide a public no-arg constructor and override the
equals method and the toString method defined in the
Object class whenever possible.

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 Designing a Class, cont.
Follow standard Java programming style and
naming conventions. Choose informative names
for classes, data fields, and methods. Always place
the data declaration before the constructor, and
place constructors before methods. Always
provide a constructor and initialize variables to
avoid programming errors.

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 Using Visibility Modifiers
Each class can present two contracts – one for the users
of the class and one for the extenders of the class. Make
the fields private and accessor methods public if they are
intended for the users of the class. Make the fields or
method protected if they are intended for extenders of the
class. The contract for the extenders encompasses the
contract for the users. The extended class may increase
the visibility of an instance method from protected to
public, or change its implementation, but you should
never change the implementation in a way that violates
that contract.

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 Using Visibility Modifiers, cont.
A class should use the private modifier to hide its data
from direct access by clients. You can use get
methods and set methods to provide users with access
to the private data, but only to private data you want
the user to see or to modify. A class should also hide
methods not intended for client use. The gcd method
in the Rational class is private, for example, because
it is only for internal use within the class.

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 Using the static Modifier

A property that is shared by all the instances

of the class should be declared as a static
property.

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 Assignment
• (Display a calendar) Write a program that displays the calendar for the current
month, as shown in Figure 15.10. Use labels, and set text on the labels to display
the calendar. Use the GregorianCalendar class to obtain the information for the
month, year, first day of the month, and number of days in the month.

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