Chapter 8:

A Second Look at Classes and Objects

Starting Out with Java:
From Control Structures through Objects
Fifth Edition
by Tony Gaddis

Chapter Topics
Chapter 8 discusses the following main topics:

Static Class Members

Passing Objects as Arguments to Methods
Returning Objects from Methods
The toString method
Writing an equals Method
Methods that Copy Objects

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Chapter Topics
Chapter 8 discusses the following main topics:

Aggregation
The this Reference Variable
Enumerated Types
Garbage Collection
Focus on Object-Oriented Design: Class
Collaboration

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Review of Instance Fields and Methods

Each instance of a class has its own copy of instance
variables.
Example:
The Rectangle class defines a length and a width field.
Each instance of the Rectangle class can have different values
stored in its length and width fields.

Instance methods require that an instance of a class be

created in order to be used.
Instance methods typically interact with instance fields
or calculate values based on those fields.
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Static Class Members

Static fields and static methods do not belong to a
single instance of a class.
To invoke a static method or use a static field, the class
name, rather than the instance name, is used.
Example:
double val = Math.sqrt(25.0);

Class name

Static method

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Static Fields
Class fields are declared using the static keyword
between the access specifier and the field type.
private static int instanceCount = 0;

The field is initialized to 0 only once, regardless of the

number of times the class is instantiated.
Primitive static fields are initialized to 0 if no initialization is
performed.

Examples: Countable.java, StaticDemo.java

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Static Fields
instanceCount field
(static)
3

Object1

Object2

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Object3

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Static Methods
Methods can also be declared static by placing the static
keyword between the access modifier and the return type of
the method.
public static double milesToKilometers(double miles)
{}

When a class contains a static method, it is not necessary to

create an instance of the class in order to use the method.
double kilosPerMile = Metric.milesToKilometers(1.0);

Examples: Metric.java, MetricDemo.java

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Static Methods
Static methods are convenient because they may be
called at the class level.
They are typically used to create utility classes, such as
the Math class in the Java Standard Library.
Static methods may not communicate with instance
fields, only static fields.

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Passing Objects as Arguments

Objects can be passed to methods as arguments.
Java passes all arguments by value.
When an object is passed as an argument, the value of the
reference variable is passed.
The value of the reference variable is an address or
reference to the object in memory.
A copy of the object is not passed, just a pointer to the
object.
When a method receives a reference variable as an
argument, it is possible for the method to modify the
contents of the object referenced by the variable.
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Passing Objects as Arguments

Examples:
PassObject.java
PassObject2.java

A Rectangle object

displayRectangle(box);

length: 12.0
width: 5.0

Address
public static void displayRectangle(Rectangle r)
{
// Display the length and width.
System.out.println("Length: " + r.getLength() +
" Width: " + r.getWidth());
}
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Returning Objects From Methods

Methods are not limited to returning the primitive data
types.
Methods can return references to objects as well.
Just as with passing arguments, a copy of the object is not
returned, only its address.
See example: ReturnObject.java
Method return type:
public static BankAccount getAccount()
{

return new BankAccount(balance);

}

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Returning Objects from Methods

account = getAccount();
A BankAccount Object

balance:

3200.0

address

public static BankAccount getAccount()

{

return new BankAccount(balance);

}
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The toString Method

The toString method of a class can be called explicitly:
Stock xyzCompany = new Stock ("XYZ", 9.62);
System.out.println(xyzCompany.toString());

However, the toString method does not have to be

called explicitly but is called implicitly whenever you pass
an object of the class to println or print.
Stock xyzCompany = new Stock ("XYZ", 9.62);
System.out.println(xyzCompany);

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The toString method

The toString method is also called implicitly
whenever you concatenate an object of the class with a
string.
Stock xyzCompany = new Stock ("XYZ", 9.62);
System.out.println("The stock data is:\n" +
xyzCompany);

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The toString Method

All objects have a toString method that returns the
class name and a hash of the memory address of the
object.
We can override the default method with our own to
print out more useful information.
Examples: Stock.java, StockDemo1.java

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The equals Method

When the == operator is used with reference variables,
the memory address of the objects are compared.
The contents of the objects are not compared.
All objects have an equals method.
The default operation of the equals method is to
compare memory addresses of the objects (just like the
== operator).

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The equals Method

The Stock class has an equals method.
If we try the following:
Stock stock1 = new Stock("GMX", 55.3);
Stock stock2 = new Stock("GMX", 55.3);
if (stock1 == stock2) // This is a mistake.
System.out.println("The objects are the same.");
else
System.out.println("The objects are not the same.");

only the addresses of the objects are compared.

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The equals Method

Instead of using the == operator to compare two Stock
objects, we should use the equals method.
public boolean equals(Stock object2)
{
boolean status;
if(symbol.equals(Object2.symbol && sharePrice == Object2.sharePrice)
status = true;
else
status = false;
return status;
}

Now, objects can be compared by their contents rather than by

their memory addresses.
See example: StockCompare.java
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Methods That Copy Objects

There are two ways to copy an object.
You cannot use the assignment operator to copy reference
types
Reference only copy
This is simply copying the address of an object into another reference
variable.

Deep copy (correct)

This involves creating a new instance of the class and copying the
values from one object into the new object.

Example: ObjectCopy.java
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Copy Constructors
A copy constructor accepts an existing object of the same class
and clones it
public Stock(Stock object 2)
{
symbol = object2.symbol;
sharePrice = object2.sharePrice;
}
// Create a Stock object
Stock company1 = new Stock("XYZ", 9.62);
//Create company2, a copy of company1
Stock company2 = new Stock(company1);

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Aggregation
Creating an instance of one class as a reference in
another class is called object aggregation.
Aggregation creates a has a relationship between
objects.
Examples:
Instructor.java, Textbook.java, Course.java,
CourseDemo.java

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Aggregation in UML Diagrams

Course
- courseName : String

- Instructor : Instructor
- textBook : TextBook

+ Course(name : String, instr : Instructor, text : TextBook)

+ getName() : String
+ getInstructor() : Instructor
+ getTextBook() : TextBook
+ toString() : String

TextBook

Instructor
- lastName : String
- firstName : String
- officeNumber : String
+ Instructor(lname : String, fname : String,
office : String)
+Instructor(object2 : Instructor)
+set(lname : String, fname : String,
office : String): void
+ toString() : String

- title : String
- author : String
- publisher : String
+ TextBook(title : String, author : String, publisher :
String)
+ TextBook(object2 : TextBook)
+ set(title : String, author : String, publisher : String)
: void
+ toString() : String

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Returning References to Private Fields

Avoid returning references to private data elements.
Returning references to private variables will allow
any object that receives the reference to modify the
variable.

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Null References
A null reference is a reference variable that points to nothing.
If a reference is null, then no operations can be performed on it.
References can be tested to see if they point to null prior to
being used.
if(name != null)
{
System.out.println("Name is: "
+ name.toUpperCase());
}

Examples: FullName.java, NameTester.java

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The this Reference

The this reference is simply a name that an object can use to
refer to itself.
The this reference can be used to overcome shadowing and
allow a parameter to have the same name as an instance field.
public void setFeet(int feet)
{
this.feet = feet;
Local parameter variable feet
//sets the this instances feet field
//equal to the parameter feet.
}

Shadowed instance variable

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The this Reference

The this reference can be used to call a constructor from
another constructor.
public Stock(String sym)
{
this(sym, 0.0);
}

This constructor would allow an instance of the Stock class to be

created using only the symbol name as a parameter.
It calls the constructor that takes the symbol and the price, using
sym as the symbol argument and 0 as the price argument.

Elaborate constructor chaining can be created using this

technique.
If this is used in a constructor, it must be the first
statement in the constructor.
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Enumerated Types
Known as an enum, requires declaration and
definition like a class
Syntax:
enum typeName { one or more enum constants }

Definition:
enum Day { SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY,
FRIDAY, SATURDAY }

Declaration:
Day WorkDay; // creates a Day enum

Assignment:

Day WorkDay = Day.WEDNESDAY;

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Enumerated Types
An enum is a specialized
class
Each are objects of type Day, a specialized class
Day.SUNDAY
Day workDay = Day.WEDNESDAY;

Day.MONDAY

The workDay variable holds the address of the

Day.WEDNESDAY object

Day.TUESDAY

address

Day.WEDNESDAY
Day.THURSDAY
Day.FRIDAY
Day.SATURDAY

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Enumerated Types - Methods

toString returns name of calling constant
ordinal returns the zero-based position of the constant in the enum. For
example the ordinal for Day.THURSDAY is 4
equals accepts an object as an argument and returns true if the argument
is equal to the calling enum constant
compareTo - accepts an object as an argument and returns a negative
integer if the calling constants ordinal < than the arguments ordinal, a
positive integer if the calling constants ordinal > than the arguments
ordinal and zero if the calling constants ordinal == the arguments ordinal.

Examples: EnumDemo.java, CarType.java, SportsCar.java,

SportsCarDemo.java

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Enumerated Types - Switching

Java allows you to test an enum constant with a
switch statement.
Example: SportsCarDemo2.java

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Garbage Collection
When objects are no longer needed they should be
destroyed.
This frees up the memory that they consumed.
Java handles all of the memory operations for you.
Simply set the reference to null and Java will reclaim
the memory.

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Garbage Collection
The Java Virtual Machine has a process that runs in the
background that reclaims memory from released objects.
The garbage collector will reclaim memory from any object
that no longer has a valid reference pointing to it.
BankAccount account1 = new BankAccount(500.0);
BankAccount account2 = account1;

This sets account1 and account2 to point to the same

object.

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Garbage Collection
A BankAccount object
account1

Address

account2

Address

Balance:

500.0

Here, both account1 and account2 point to the same

instance of the BankAccount class.
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Garbage Collection
A BankAccount object
account1

null

account2

Address

Balance:

500.0

However, by running the statement: account1 = null;

only account2 will be pointing to the object.

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Garbage Collection
A BankAccount object
account1

null

account2

null

Balance:

500.0

Since there are no valid references to this

object, it is now available for the garbage
collector to reclaim.

If we now run the statement: account2 = null;

neither account1 or account2 will be pointing to the object.

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Garbage Collection
A BankAccount object
account1

null

account2

null

Balance:

500.0

The garbage collector reclaims

the memory the next time it runs
in the background.

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The finalize Method

If a method with the signature:
public void finalize(){}

is included in a class, it will run just prior to the

garbage collector reclaiming its memory.
The garbage collector is a background thread that runs
periodically.
It cannot be determined when the finalize method
will actually be run.

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Class Collaboration
Collaboration two classes interact with each other
If an object is to collaborate with another object, it
must know something about the second objects
methods and how to call them
If we design a class StockPurchase that
collaborates with the Stock class (previously
defined), we define it to create and manipulate a
Stock object
See examples: StockPurchase.java, StockTrader.java

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CRC Cards
Class, Responsibilities and Collaborations (CRC) cards are
useful for determining and documenting a classs
responsibilities
The things a class is responsible for knowing
The actions a class is responsible for doing

CRC Card Layout (Example for class Stock)

Stock
Know stock to purchase
Know number of shares
Calculate cost of purchase
Etc.

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Stock class
None
Stock class
None or class name

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