Objects and Classes

ISYS350
Instructor: Lei Jin
The syntax for declaring instance variables
private primitiveType|ClassName variableName;

Examples
private double price;
private int quantity;
private String code;
private Product product;

How to code instance variables

• An instance variable may be a primitive data type, an object
created from a Java class such as the String class, or an object
created from a user-defined class such as the Product class.
• To prevent other classes from accessing instance variables, use the
private keyword to declare them as private.
• An instance variable should be defined outside of any methods.
Where you can declare instance variables
public class Product
{
//common to code instance variables here
private String code;
private String description;
private double price;

//the constructors and methods of the class

public Product(){}
public void setCode(String code){}
public String getCode(){ return code; }
public void setDescription(String description){}
public String getDescription(){ return description; }
public void setPrice(double price){}
public double getPrice(){ return price; }
public String getFormattedPrice()
{ return formattedPrice; }

//also possible to code instance variables here

private int test;
}
 Create Constructors
• constructors are used to initiate new objects
of that class
• constructors must have the same name as
the class has
• Constructors do not have a return type—not
even void
• You should usually create at least one
default constructor for each classes
• you can have more than one constructors
as long as they have different parameter
profiles
The syntax for coding constructors
public ClassName([parameterList])
{
// the statements of the constructor
}

A constructor that assigns default values

public Product()
{
code = "";
description = "";
price = 0.0;
}
A custom constructor with three parameters
public Product(String code, String description,
double price)
{
this.code = code;
this.description = description;
this.price = price;
}

Another way to code the constructor shown

above
public Product(String aCode, String aDescription,
double aPrice)
{
code = aCode;
description = aDescription;
price = aPrice;
}
How to refer to instance variables with the this
keyword
public Product(String code, String description,
double price)
{
this.code = code;
this.description = description;
this.price = price;
}

How to use the this keyword

• Since Java implicitly uses the this keyword for instance variables
and methods, you don’t need to explicitly code it unless a
parameter has the same name as an instance variable.
 Accessor and Mutator methods
public class Circle
{ private double radius;
…
public double getRadius()
{ return radius; }
public void setRadius(double aRadius)
{ radius = aRadius; }
}

•For each private attributes you created, you should also create one get method
and one set method for that attributes
•The get method is also called accessor method, it should always return the value
of the attributes
•The set method is also called mutator method, its return data type should always
be void
 Create Objects from Classes
Java treats a class the same as a data type !

Declaration: the name rect will Initiation: Rectangle() is a call to

be used to refer to a Rectangle Rectangle’s constructor, which
object initializes the object.

Rectangle rect = new Rectangle(1,1,4,4)

Instantiation: creates the new

object (allocates memory space
for it.
Access Instance Variables and Invoke
Instance Methods
• Access private instance variables
objectname.getVariableName()
circle1.getRadius()
myProduct.getPrice()

• Calling instance methods

objectName.methodName(argumentList);
or
objectName.methodName();
myRect1.move(50, 50);
rectangle1.findArea();
 toString() method
• Java library provides a method called toString()
that returns the String representation of the object
on which it is called.
• When you do System.out.println() an object, the
toString() method of the object is automatically
called.
Product product1 = new Product("java", "Murach's Beginning Java 2", 49.5);
System.out.println(product1);

Output: productapp.Product@130c19b
 toString() method
• To print out the actual content of product1, you need to override the toString()
method.
public String toString()
{
String report;
report = "Code: " + code + "\n" + "Description: " + description
+ "\n“ + "Price: " + price + "\n";
return report;
}
• Now see what happens when you print out product1:

Product product1 = new Product("java", "Murach's Beginning Java 2", 49.5);

System.out.println(product1);

Output:
Code: java
Description: Murach's Beginning Java 2
Price: 49.5