TheJavaObjectModel.PDFVIP

Java Object Model The Java Object Model Topics in this section include: ? Java classes, including the use of access rights, inheritance, method definitions, constructors, and instance versus class members ? Java packages. ? Java interfaces, and why are they are so important ? Java dynamic loading, and how application classes are loaded on demand Introduction A Java program consists of a set of class definitions, optionally grouped into packages. Each class encapsulates state and behavior appropriate to whatever the class models in the real world and may dictate access privileges of its members. In this chapter, you will learn how Java supports the primary features of an object- oriented programming system: encapsulation, data hiding, polymorphism, and inheritance. We assume a knowledge of the object-oriented paradigm. Classes Minimally, a class defines a collection of state variables, as well as the functionality for working with these variables. Classes are like C struct or Pascal record definitions that allow function definitions within them. The syntax for defining a class is straightforward: class ClassName { variables methods } For example, an Employee class might resemble: class Employee { String name; ... } Typically, Java classes are defined one per .java file so Employee would be in Employee.java and compiled to Employee.class. When a class references another class, the Java compiler finds the associated class definition to perform type checking and so on. For example, Employee references String, which the ? 1996-2003 jG. All Rig