core

Web programming

Basic Object-Oriented
Programming in Java

1 2001-2002 Marty Hall, Larry Brown http://www.corewebprogramming.com

Object-Oriented Nomenclature
Class means a category of things
A class name can be used in Java as the type of a field or
local variable or as the return type of a function (method)
Object means a particular item that
belongs to a class
Also called an instance

For example, consider the following line:

String s1 = "Hello";
Here, String is the class, s1 is an instance variable of class
String, whose value is the String object "Hello"

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 Example 1: Instance Variables
(Fields or Data Members)
class Ship1 {
public double x, y, speed, direction;
public String name;
}

public class Test1 {

public static void main(String[] args) {
Ship1 s1 = new Ship1();
s1.x = 0.0;
s1.y = 0.0;
s1.speed = 1.0;
s1.direction = 0.0; // East
s1.name = "Ship1";
System.out.println(s1.name + " is initially at ("
+ s1.x + "," + s1.y + ").");
s1.x = s1.x + s1.speed
* Math.cos(s1.direction * Math.PI / 180.0);
s1.y = s1.y + s1.speed
* Math.sin(s1.direction * Math.PI / 180.0);
System.out.println(s1.name + " has moved to ("
+ s1.x + "," + s1.y + ").");

}
}

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Instance Variables: Results
Compiling and Running:
javac Test1.java
java Test1

Output:
Ship1 is initially at (1,0).
Ship2 has moved to (-1.41421,1.41421).

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 Example 1: Major Points
Java naming convention
Format of class definitions
Creating classes with new
Accessing fields with
variableName.fieldName

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Java Naming Conventions
Leading uppercase letter in class name

public class MyClass {

...
}

Leading lowercase letter in field, local

variable, and method (function) names
myField, myVar, myMethod

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First Look at Java Classes
The general form of a simple class is

modifier class Classname {

modifier data-type field1;

modifier data-type field2;
...
modifier data-type fieldN;

modifier Return-Type methodName1(parameters) {

//statements
}

...

modifier Return-Type methodName2(parameters) {

//statements
}
}
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Objects and References
Once a class is defined, you can easily
declare a variable (object reference) of the
class
Ship s1, s2;
Point start;
Color blue;

Object references are initially null

The null value is a distinct type in Java and should not
be considered equal to zero
A primitive data type cannot be cast to an object (use
wrapper classes)
The new operator is required to explicitly
create the object that is referenced
ClassName variableName = new ClassName();
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Accessing Instance Variables
Use a dot between the variable name and the field
name, as follows:
variableName.fieldName

For example, Java has a built-in class called Point

that has x and y fields
Point p = new Point(2, 3); // Build a Point object
int xSquared = p.x * p.x; // xSquared is 4
p.x = 7;

One major exception applies to the access fields

through varName.fieldName rule
Methods can access fields of current object without varName
This will be explained when methods (functions) are discussed

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 Example 2: Methods
class Ship2 {
public double x=0.0, y=0.0, speed=1.0, direction=0.0;
public String name = "UnnamedShip";

private double degreesToRadians(double degrees) {

return(degrees * Math.PI / 180.0);
}

public void move() {

double angle = degreesToRadians(direction);
x = x + speed * Math.cos(angle);
y = y + speed * Math.sin(angle);
}

public void printLocation() {

System.out.println(name + " is at ("
+ x + "," + y + ").");
}
} www.corewebprogramming.com
 Methods (Continued)
public class Test2 {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Ship2 s1 = new Ship2();
s1.name = "Ship1";
Ship2 s2 = new Ship2();
s2.direction = 135.0; // Northwest
s2.speed = 2.0;
s2.name = "Ship2";
s1.move();
s2.move();
s1.printLocation();
s2.printLocation();
}
}
Compiling and Running:
javac Test2.java
java Test2
Output:
Ship1 is at (1,0).
Ship2 is at (-1.41421,1.41421).
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 Example 2: Major Points
Format of method definitions
Methods that access local fields
Calling methods
Static methods
Default values for fields
public/private distinction

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Defining Methods
(Functions Inside Classes)
Basic method declaration:
public ReturnType methodName(type1 arg1,
type2 arg2, ...) {
...
return(something of ReturnType);
}

Exception to this format: if you declare the

return type as void
This special syntax that means this method isnt going to
return a value it is just going to do some side effect like
printing on the screen
In such a case you do not need (in fact, are not
permitted), a return statement that includes a value to
be returned
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Examples of Defining Methods
Here are two examples:
The first squares an integer
The second returns the faster of two Ship objects, assuming that a
class called Ship has been defined that has a field named speed
// Example function call:
// int val = square(7);

public int square(int x) {

return(x*x);
}

// Example function call:

// Ship faster = fasterShip(someShip, someOtherShip);

public Ship fasterShip(Ship ship1, Ship ship2) {

if (ship1.speed > ship2.speed) {
return(ship1);
} else {
return(ship2);
}
} www.corewebprogramming.com
Exception to the Field Access
with Dots Rule
Normally access a field via: variableName.fieldName

but an exception is when a method of a class wants

to access fields of that same class
In that case, omit the variable name and the dot
For example, a move method within the Ship class might do:
public void move() {
x = x + speed * Math.cos(direction);
...
}
Here, x, speed, and direction are all fields within the class
that the move method belongs to, so move can refer to the fields
directly

As well see later, you still can use the variableName.fieldName

approach, and Java invents a variable called this that can be used
for that purpose www.corewebprogramming.com
 Static Methods
Static functions are like global functions in other
languages

You can call a static method through the class

name
ClassName.functionName(arguments);

For example, the Math class has a static method called cos that
expects a double precision number as an argument
So you can call Math.cos(3.5) without ever having any object
(instance) of the Math class

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Method Visibility
public/private distinction
A declaration of private means that outside methods
cant call it -- only methods within the same class can
Thus, for example, the main method of the Test2
class could not have done
double x = s1.degreesToRadians(2.2);
Attempting to do so would have resulted in an
error at compile time
Only say public for methods that you want to guarantee
your class will make available to users
You are free to change or eliminate private methods
without telling users of your class about

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 Example 3: Constructors
class Ship3 {
public double x, y, speed, direction;
public String name;

public Ship3(double x, double y,

double speed, double direction,
String name) {
this.x = x; // "this" differentiates instance vars
this.y = y; // from local vars.
this.speed = speed;
this.direction = direction;
this.name = name;
}

private double degreesToRadians(double degrees) {

return(degrees * Math.PI / 180.0);
}
...
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 Constructors (Continued)
public void move() {
double angle = degreesToRadians(direction);
x = x + speed * Math.cos(angle);
y = y + speed * Math.sin(angle);
}
public void printLocation() {
System.out.println(name + " is at ("
+ x + "," + y + ").");
}
}
public class Test3 {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Ship3 s1 = new Ship3(0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, "Ship1");
Ship3 s2 = new Ship3(0.0, 0.0, 2.0, 135.0, "Ship2");
s1.move();
s2.move();
s1.printLocation();
s2.printLocation();
}
} www.corewebprogramming.com
Constructor Example: Results
Compiling and Running:
javac Test3.java
java Test3
Output:
Ship1 is at (1,0).
Ship2 is at (-1.41421,1.41421).

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Example 3: Major Points
Format of constructor definitions
The this reference
Destructors (not!)

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Constructors
Constructors are special functions called when a
class is created with new
Constructors are especially useful for supplying values of fields
Constructors are declared through:
public ClassName(args) {
...
}
Notice that the constructor name must exactly match the class name
Constructors have no return type (not even void), unlike a regular
method
Java automatically provides a zero-argument constructor if and only
if the class doesnt define its own constructor
Thats why you could say
Ship1 s1 = new Ship1();
in the first example, even though a constructor was never
defined

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 The this Variable
The this object reference can be used inside any
non-static method to refer to the current object
The common uses of the this reference are:
1. To pass a reference to the current object as a parameter to other
methods
someMethod(this);

2. To resolve name conflicts

Using this permits the use of instance variables in methods
that have local variables with the same name

Note that it is only necessary to say this.fieldName when you

have a local variable and a class field with the same name;
otherwise just use fieldName with no this

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Destructors

This Page Intentionally Left Blank

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 Summary
Class names should start with uppercase; method
names with lowercase
Methods must define a return type or void if no result
is returned
If a method accepts no arguments, the arg-list in the
method declaration is empty instead of void as in C
Static methods do not require an instance of the
class; static methods can be accessed through the
class name
The this reference in a class refers to the current
object
Class constructors do not declare a return type
Java performs its own memory management and
requires no destructors

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