Classes & Objects
22-01-25
Lecture 4A
Prof. Anita Agrawal
BITS-Pilani, K.K. Birla Goa campus
❑A class is a blueprint from which objects are created
❑It is an entity that determines how an object will behave
and what the object will contain.
❑It defines the methods and variables common to all objects
of a certain kind.
❑Syntax:
class classname
{
members of class
}
Classes 2
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• Members of class are:
• Variables
• Methods
• Constructors
• Variables: represent the state of the class.
• Methods: represent behavior of the class.
• Constructors: initialize the state of a new instance of the
class
Class members 3
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modifier class clsName
{
// instance variable declaration
modifier type1 varName1 = value1;
: Variables
modifier typeN varNameN = valueN;
// Constructor
clsName(cparam1)
{ Constructor
// body of constructor
}
Class
// Methods
modifier rType1 methodName1(mParams1) members
{
// body of method
}
: Methods
modifier rTypeN methodNameN(mParamsN)
{
// body of method
}
}
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Package Private(accessible
only inside the package)
• Class access level: Public (accessible in code of any
package)
Private (only in the class)
• Access Level of members:
Package (only in this package)
(fields and methods)
Protected (in this package and all
sub-classes even if in different
pacakges
Public(everywhere)
Modifier/ access level 5
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• A package is a namespace that organizes a
set of related classes and interfaces.
Packages 6
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OBJECTS
7
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• Obtaining objects: two step process.
• Declare a variable of the class type.
• does not define an object.
• simply refers to an object.
• Acquire an actual, physical copy of the object
and assign it to that variable.
• use the new operator.
• The new operator dynamically allocates
memory for an object and
• Returns a reference to it.
Objects 8
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Step 1:
classname object_name
Step 2:
object_name = new classname()
Example:
Dog dog1; //dog1 contains null,
dog1 = new Dog(); // allocates an actual object
Syntax 9
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Shorthand:
Dog dog1= new Dog();
10
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• Classes are logical constructs
• Objects are actual physical reality (occupy space in
memory)
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Each object of class will have its own copy of instance
variable. breed, size, color, age
• To access these variables (and methods)
– Dot(.) operator
• For example:
[Link]=" german_shepherd ";
[Link]="Small";
12
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METHODS
13
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modifier class clsName
{
// instance variable declaration Data:
type1 varName1 = value1;
: instance
typeN varNameN = valueN; variables
// Methods
rType1 methodName1(mParams1)
{
// body of method
} code:
: methods
rTypeN methodNameN(mParamsN)
{
// body of method
}
}
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int addition()
{
ctr++;
return i + j;
}
void display()
{
[Link](……………….);
}
Example of method 15
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