Computer Programming 2

Java Class Library

Objectives:
Explain object-oriented programming and some of its concepts
Diferentiate between classes and objects
Diferentiate between instance variables/methods and class (static) variables/methods
Explain what methods are and how to call and pass parameters to methods
Identif the scope of a variable
!ast primitive data tpes and objects
!ompare objects and determine the class of an objects
Object-Oriented programming or OOP
" #evolves aro$nd the concept of objects as the basic elements of o$r programs%
" &hese objects are characteri'ed b their properties and behaviors%
Example of objects
Objects in the phsical world can easil be modeled as software objects $sing the properties as
data and the behaviors as methods
Classes and Objects
Class
" can be tho$ght of as a template( a prototpe or a bl$eprint of an object
" is the f$ndamental str$ct$re in object-oriented programming
Two types of class members:
Fields (properties or attributes)
" specif the data tpes de)ned b the class
Metods!
" specif the operations
Object
" is composed of a set of data (properties) which are variables describing the essential
characteristics of the object( and consists of a set of methods (behavior) that describes how an
object behaves%
" *n object is an instance of a class%
To diferentiate between classes and objects
!lasses provide the bene)t of re$sabilit%
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.oftware programmers can $se a class over and over again to create man objects
Class 'ariables
Classes consist of
Instance variables
Instance methods
!lass /ariables (static member variables)
" variables that belong to the whole class%
" &his means that the have the same val$e for all the objects in the same class%
Class (nstantiation
&o create an object or an instance of a class( we $se the new operator%
-or example( if o$ want to create an instance of the class
.tring( we write the following code(
String str2 = new String(Hello world!);
or also e0$ivalent to(
String str2 = "Hello";
Class (nstantiation
&he new operator
" allocates a memor for that object and ret$rns a reference of that memor location to o$%
" 1hen o$ create an object( o$ act$all invo2e the class3 constr$ctor%
&he constr$ctor
" is a method where o$ place all the initiali'ations( it has the same name as the class%
Metods
4ethod
" is a separate piece of code that can be called b a main program or an other method to
perform some speci)c f$nction%
&he following are characteristics of methods5
" It can ret$rn one or no val$es
" It ma accept as man parameters it needs or no parameter at all%
" ,arameters are also called arg$ments%
" *fter the method has )nished exec$tion( it goes bac2 to the method that called it%
)y *se Metods+
&he heart of efective problem solving is in problem decomposition%
1e can do this in 6ava b creating methods to solve a speci)c part of the problem%
&a2ing a problem and brea2ing it into small( manageable pieces is critical to writing large
programs%
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