Defining Classes and Methods

Defining Classes and Methods Chapter 4.1

Key Features of Objects • An object has identity (it acts as a single whole). • An object has state (it has various properties, which might change). • An object has behavior (it can do things and can have things done to it). • An object belongs to a class. (cf. Object-oriented Analysis and Design, by Grady Booch, Addison-Wesley, 1994.)

Objects of a Class

Basic Terminology • Objects can represent almost anything. • A classdefines a family of objects. • It specifies the kinds of data an object of the class can have. • It provides methodsspecifying the actions an object of the class can take. • An object is an instance of the class. • We will call the data items associated with an object the instance variables of that object (i.e. that instance of the class).

Object Oriented Programming: three stages • Creating the program: • define classes that describe objects that the program will use when it is running. • including one class that contains the static main() method which is used to start the program running • Compiling the program • translation to bytecode • Running the program • The java interpreter looks for a static main() method and starts running. • The program does its work by creating objects and invoking their methods. The order of creation and invocation depends upon the problem at hand.

Class Files and Separate Compilation • Each Java class definition should be in a file by itself. • A Java class can be compiled before it is used in a program • If all the classes used in a program are in the same directory (folder) as the program file, you do not need to import them.

Syntax of Class Definitions class ClassName { Descriptions of the instance variables and methods each object will have and the constructors that initialize a new object. }

Class Definition • Often the class definition is segmented for clarity as follows class ClassName { // Description of the variables. // Description of the constructors. // Description of the methods }

Checkpoint • A program is a class that has a method named main • Does every class require a main( ) method?

Object Oriented Hello class HelloObject { // method definition void speak() { System.out.println("Hello from an object!"); } } class HelloTester { // method definition public static void main ( String[] args ) { HelloObject anObject = new HelloObject(); anObject.speak(); } }

class HelloObject { // method definition void speak() { System.out.println("Hello from an object!"); } } class HelloTester { // method definition public static void main ( String[] args ) { HelloObject anObject = new HelloObject(); anObject.speak(); } } 1 main starts running 2 New HelloObject is created 3 it is assigned to anObject 4 speak method of anObject is invoked. 5 A message is printed on the screen. 6. The program finishes What Happens

speak( ) method requiresanObject to contain it

Methods and Objects • In general, methods require an object to be present in order to be invoked. • However, this is not always the case. • Static methods can be invoked by themselves. • main is an example of a static method

More Complex Example • SpeciesFirstTry.javaThis a class which defined three methods. • SpeciesFirstTryDemo.javaThis is another class which invokes the first one. • Both definitions live in the same directory (folder) – so there is no need for the second to import the first.

Two Kinds of Method • methods that return a single value (e.g. nextInt) • methods that perform some action other than returning a single value (e.g println), called void methods

Aspects of Methods

void Method Definitions example public void writeOuput() { System.out.println(“Name: “ + name); System.out.println(“Age: “ + age); } • Such methods are calledvoid methods.

Definition ofMethods That Return a Value example public int fiveFactorial(); { int factorial = 5*4*3*2*1; return factorial; } • As before, the method definition consists of the method heading and the method body. • The return type replaces void.

Method Definitions, cont. • The parentheses following the method name contain any information the method needs. public int fiveFactorial(); • In this case there is no information since there is nothing between parentheses • Sometimes, however, we do include such information in the form of a parameter list e.g. public int sum(int i, j); • The parameter list gives the order and types of arguments • This first part of the method definition is called the heading. • The remainder of the method is called the body, and is enclosed in braces {}.

Defining Methods That Return a Value, cont. • The body of the method contains declarations and statements. • The body of the method definition must contain return Expression; • This is called a return statement. • The Expression must produce a value of the type specified in the heading.

Using return in a void Method • A void method is not required to have a return statement. • However, it can be user to terminate the method invocation before the end of the code, to deal with some problem, • form return;

Invocation of Methodsthat Return a Value example int next = keyboard.nextInt(); • keyboard is the calling object. • keyboard.nextint() is the invocation. • You can use the invocation any place that it is valid to use of value of the type returned by the method.

Invocation of Methods that Do Not Return a Value example System.out.println(“Enter data:”); • System.out is the calling object. • System.out.println() is the invocation. • The method invocation is a Java statement that produces the action(s) specified in the method definition. • It is as if the method invocation were replaced by the statements and declarations in the method definition.

Variables • A class definition is associated with different kinds of variables. • variables that are declared in the class • variables that declared in the methods defined within the class.

The Class Bank Account public class BankAccount { public double amount; public double rate; public void showNewBalance( ) { double newAmount = amount + (rate/100.0)*amount; System.out.println("amount is $" + newAmount); } }

Variables • When an instance of a class is created, a new instance of each variable declared in the class is created. • These variables are instance variables. • Instance variables declared to be public can be accessed from outside the class.

Accessing Instance Variables • Outside the class definition, a public instance variable is accessed with • objectname . instancevariable name aBankAccount.rate = 10; • Inside the definition of the same class only the name of the instance variable is used. amount + (rate/100.0)*amount

Use of this • Inside the definition of the same class only the name of the instance variable is used.amount + (rate/100.0)*amount • Equivalently thisstands for the calling object - the object that invokes the method.this.amount + (this.rate/100.0) * this.amount

Local Variables • Variables that belong to the methods are private to the method. • They are called local variables • They cannot be accessed from outside the method in which they are defined.

Identify the Local Variable public class BankAccount { public double amount; public double rate; public void showNewBalance( ) { double newAmount = amount + (rate/100.0)*amount; System.out.println("amount is $" + newAmount); } } instance variables local variable

What is the Output? public class LocalVariablesDemoProgram { public static void main(String[] args) { BankAccount myAccount = new BankAccount( ); myAccount.amount = 100.00; myAccount.rate = 5; double newAmount = 800.00; myAccount.showNewBalance( ); System.out.println("I wish my new amount were $" + newAmount); } }

Blocks • The terms block and compound statement both refer to a set of Java statements enclosed in braces {}. • A variable declared within a block is local to the block. • When the block ends, the variable disappears. • If you intend to use the variable both inside and outside the block, declare it outside the block.

Local Varables { int x = 1, y = 2; { int x = 3; x = x + y; System.out.println(x); } x = x + y; System.out.println(x); }

Constructors • Every class is associated with one or more constructors. • A constructor is a method which constructs an instance of a class. • Below a constructor invocation is shown in red BankAccount ac = new BankAccount( )

Default Constructor • If a constructor is not defined explicitly within the class definition, it receives a default definition. • The default definition is a method without arguments whose name is the same as that of the class. • The default constructor behaves as though it were defined as shown in red.

Default Constructor class HelloObject { HelloObject() // default constructor { } void speak(){ System.out.println("Hello from an object!"); } } • Because the default constructor exists we can write new HelloObject(). • Note that it has an empty argument list.

Improving HelloObject – Step 1 • The first step is to provide the speak method with a variable, in this case greeting, to hold the greeting string. class HelloObject { String greeting; void speak() { System.out.println(greeting); } } • How does greeting receive a value?

Assigning to greeting • What we want is to be able to write something like this: { hello = new HelloObj(“hello”), goodbye = newHelloObj(“goodbye”); hello.speak(); goodbye.speak(); } • In other words, we want to convey information to the object through parameters of the constructor. • The problem is that the default constructor for HelloObj has no parameters.

The instance variable has to be set by the constructor – which means that the constructor has to have one parameter. • We therefore cannot use the default constructor, and have to write our own. • Further details are given in Kjell Chapter 30

How Values are Transmitted • The method invocation, e.g. HelloObject(″Goodbye″)evaluates the supplied argument (actual parameter) • The value of the argument is assigned to the method's corresponding formal parameter. • The method computes with the parameter set to that value. • This is known as the call-by-value mechanism.

Defining Classes and Methods