Java Classes

Introduction and
Chapter 1

Slides by Steve Armstrong

LeTourneau University
Longview, TX
2007,Prentice Hall
 Chapter Contents
• Introduction
• Objects and Classes
• Using the Methods in a Java Class
 References and Aliases
• Defining a Java Class
• Method Definitions
 Arguments and Parameters
 Passing Arguments
 A Definition of the Class Name
 Constructors
 The Method toString
 ...
Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Chapter Contents

• . . . Method Definitions – ctd.

 Methods That Call Other Methods
 Methods That Return an Instance of Their Class
 Static Fields and Methods
 Overloading Methods

• Enumeration as a Class
• Packages
 The Java Class Library

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 Organizing Our Lives

• For each of the above examples, consider how

the objects are organized

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 Organizing Computer Data
• Computer stores/organizes items in similar
manners as the examples
• Ways of organizing data are represented
by Abstract Data Types (ADTs)
• An ADT specifies
 data that is stored
 operations that can be done on the data

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 ADT Terminology
• Data structure: implementation of an ADT
within a programming language
• Collection: an ADT that contains a group
of objects
• Container: a class that implements the
collection
• These last two terms are sometimes used
interchangeably

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 Types of ADTs
• Bag
 Unordered collection, may contain duplicates
• List
 A collection that numbers its items
• Stack Match each of these
 Orders items chronologically to the pictures ?

 Last In, First out Click here to return to

pictures
• Queue
 Orders items chronologically
 First in, First out

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 Types of ADTs
• Dictionary
 Pairs of items – one is a key
 Can be sorted or not
• Tree
Match each of these
 Arranged in a hierarchy to the pictures ?

• Graph Click here to return to

pictures
 Generalization of a tree

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 Objects and Classes 1
• An object is a program construct
 Contains data
 Performs actions
• Objects interact to solve problems
• Actions performed by objects are
defined by methods

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 Objects and Classes
• A class is a kind of object
• A class definition is
a general description of
 what the object is
 what it can do

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 Objects and Classes
• All objects in the same class have
 the same kinds of data
 the same methods

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 Using the Methods in a Java Class 2

• Given a class called Name

 Declare a variable
Name joe;
 Create an instance of Name
joe = new Name();
 Alternatively
Name joe = new Name();

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 Using the Methods in a Java Class 3

• void methods are used to do a task such

as set the first or last names

• valued methods return a single value

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 References and Aliases 4
• Primitive data types
 byte  float
 short  double
 int  char
 long  boolean

• All other data types are reference or class types

• A reference variable contains address of
(reference to) location in memory of an object

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 References and Aliases
• Consider the results of the code below:

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 Defining a Java Class 5
Access
Accessor
orvisibility
visibilitymodifiers
modifiers
Specifies
Specifieswhere
whereaaclass,
class,data
data
field,
field,or
ormethod
methodcan
canbe
beused.
used.

Data
Datamembers
members

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 Defining a Java Class
Methods
Methodsthat
thatclasses
classesoften
oftenuse:
use:
••Accessor
Accessor(query)
(query)methods
methods––return
returnvalue
valueof
ofaadata
datafield
field
••Mutator
Mutatormethods
methods––change
changethe
thevalue
valueof
ofaadata
datafield
field

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 Method Definitions 7
• General form of method definition

Examples

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 Method Definitions 10
public
public void
• Note incorrect, void
setFirst(String
setFirst(String first)
first)
ambiguous use {{
first
first == first;
first;
of identifier first }} //
// end
end setFirst
setFirst
• Solvable by use data object parameter
first
of this first

 this.first refers
to data member public
public void
void
 Note: possible setFirst(String
setFirst(String first)
first)
{{
but not typical this.first
this.first == first;
first;
}} //
// end
end setFirst
setFirst
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 Arguments and Parameters 12
• Consider statements:
Name
Name joe
joe == new
new Name();
Name();
joe.setFirst("Joseph");
joe.setFirst("Joseph");
joe.setLast("Brown");
joe.setLast("Brown");

• Arguments/parameters in call match in

number and type to formal parameters in
definition
public
public void
void setFirst(String
setFirst(String firstName)
firstName)
{{
first
first == firstName;
firstName;
}} //
// end
end setFirst
setFirst
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 Passing Arguments 13
• When formal parameter is primitive type
 parameter in method initialized by value
 can be constant or variable

public
public void
void setMiddleInitial(char
setMiddleInitial(char middleInitial)
middleInitial)
{{
initial
initial == middleInitial;
middleInitial;
}} //
// end
end setMiddleInitial
setMiddleInitial

joe.setMiddleInitial('Q');
joe.setMiddleInitial('Q');

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 Passing Arguments 14
• When a formal parameter has a class type

public
public void
void giveLastNameTo(Name
giveLastNameTo(Name child)
child)
{{
child.setLast(last);
child.setLast(last);
}} //
// end
end giveLastNameTo
giveLastNameTo

 Formal parameter initialized with memory

address of object passed to it.

jamie.giveLastNameTo(jane);
jamie.giveLastNameTo(jane);
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 Passing Arguments
• However, a method cannot replace an
object passed to it as an argument

public
public void
void giveLastNameTo2(Name
giveLastNameTo2(Name child)
child)
{{
String
String firstName
firstName == child.getFirst();
child.getFirst();
child
child == new
new Name();
Name();
child.setFirst(firstName);
child.setFirst(firstName);
child.setLast(last);
child.setLast(last);
}} //
// end
end giveLastNameTo2
giveLastNameTo2 child
child isisconsidered
consideredlocal.
local.
ItItwill
willdisappear
disappearwhen
whenthe
the
method
methodfinishes
finishes
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A Definition of the Class Name 16

• View definition of full class

• Note
 Constructors
 set methods – mutators
 get methods – accessors
 toString method
• Note demonstration program

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Constructors
• Tasks of a constructor
 Allocate memory for object
 Initialize data fields
• Properties
 Same name as class
 No return type (not even void)
 Can have any number of parameters
(including no parameters)
 Note constructors of Name

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 The Method toString 21
• Note the toString method of class Name
 Returns a string with value of person's name

• For any class, toString method invoked

automatically for command

System.out.println (someObject);

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 Methods That Call Other Methods 22

• Note setName method in class Name

 Invokes setFirst and setLast
 setName invokes them without preceding
the method name with object variable and dot
• Consider the getName method
 Calls toString
 Thus both methods always give same result

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Methods That Return an Instance
of Their Class 26
• Consider a different version of setName
public
public Name
Name setName(String
setName(String firstName,
firstName,
String
String lastName)
lastName)
{{
setFirst(firstName);
setFirst(firstName);
setLast(lastName);
setLast(lastName);
return
return this;
this;
}} //
// end
end setName
setName

• The return this; returns a reference

to the invoking object.
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 Static Fields and Methods 27
• A static data field does not belong to any
one object
 Also called a class variable
 Only one instance of the variable exists for all
instances of the class
• Note that a static data field is not a
constant (final)

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Static Fields and Methods
• All instances of the class reference that
one variable

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Static Fields and Methods
• Consider the need of a method that does
not belong to an object of any type
• Examples
 A method to find the max or min of two or more
numbers
 A square root method

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Static Fields and Methods
• When specified static, a method is still
a member of the class
 However, does not need an object as a prefix
to the call
• Call with the name of the class

int
int maximum
maximum == Math.max(2,
Math.max(2, 3);
3);
double
double root
root == Math.sqrt(4.2);
Math.sqrt(4.2);

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Overloading Methods 29
• Multiple methods within the same class
can have the same name
• Java distinguishes them by noting the
parameters
 Different numbers of parameters
 Different types of parameters
• This is called the signature of the method

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Enumeration as a Class 30
• When an enumeration is defined
 A class is created
 Default methods include
• toString
• equals
• ordinal
• valueOf
• Also possible to provide additional
methods

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X
 Enumeration as a Class

• Consider the following example of an

enumeration of card suits
• View definition of class Suit
 Note constructor, getColor
• View demonstration program

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 Enumeration as a Class 33
• View class LetterGrade
 An enumeration class
 Note class elements
• Consider the following code

LetterGrade myGrade = LetterGrade.B_PLUS;

• Discuss the results of calls to various

LetterGrade methods

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 Packages 34
• Packages enable grouping together
multiple related classes
• Specify a class to be part of a package
with first line
package myStuff;
• Place all classes in same directory which
is named with the name of the package
• In your program which uses the package
import myStuff.*;

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 The Java Class Library 35
• The Java language has many classes
defined
 Recall the Math class with max and sqrt
• Collection known as

Java Class Library or

Java Application Programming Interface

Carrano, Data Structures and Abstractions with Java, Second Edition, (c) 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 0-13-237045-X