Objects and instances in java

Java Classes and Objects

Everything in Java is associated with classes and objects, along with its attributes and methods. For example: in real life, a car is an object. The car has attributes, such as weight and color, and methods, such as drive and brake.

A Class is like an object constructor, or a «blueprint» for creating objects.

Create a Class

To create a class, use the keyword class :

Main.java

Create a class named » Main » with a variable x:

Remember from the Java Syntax chapter that a class should always start with an uppercase first letter, and that the name of the java file should match the class name.

Create an Object

In Java, an object is created from a class. We have already created the class named Main , so now we can use this to create objects.

To create an object of Main , specify the class name, followed by the object name, and use the keyword new :

Example

Create an object called » myObj » and print the value of x:

Multiple Objects

You can create multiple objects of one class:

Example

Create two objects of Main :

Using Multiple Classes

You can also create an object of a class and access it in another class. This is often used for better organization of classes (one class has all the attributes and methods, while the other class holds the main() method (code to be executed)).

Remember that the name of the java file should match the class name. In this example, we have created two files in the same directory/folder:

Main.java

Second.java

When both files have been compiled:

You will learn much more about classes and objects in the next chapters.

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Creating Objects

As you know, a class provides the blueprint for objects; you create an object from a class. Each of the following statements taken from the CreateObjectDemo program creates an object and assigns it to a variable:

Point originOne = new Point(23, 94); Rectangle rectOne = new Rectangle(originOne, 100, 200); Rectangle rectTwo = new Rectangle(50, 100);

The first line creates an object of the Point class, and the second and third lines each create an object of the Rectangle class.

Each of these statements has three parts (discussed in detail below):

1. Declaration: The code set in bold are all variable declarations that associate a variable name with an object type.
2. Instantiation: The new keyword is a Java operator that creates the object.
3. Initialization: The new operator is followed by a call to a constructor, which initializes the new object.

Declaring a Variable to Refer to an Object

Previously, you learned that to declare a variable, you write:

This notifies the compiler that you will use name to refer to data whose type is type. With a primitive variable, this declaration also reserves the proper amount of memory for the variable.

You can also declare a reference variable on its own line. For example:

If you declare originOne like this, its value will be undetermined until an object is actually created and assigned to it. Simply declaring a reference variable does not create an object. For that, you need to use the new operator, as described in the next section. You must assign an object to originOne before you use it in your code. Otherwise, you will get a compiler error.

A variable in this state, which currently references no object, can be illustrated as follows (the variable name, originOne , plus a reference pointing to nothing):

Instantiating a Class

The new operator instantiates a class by allocating memory for a new object and returning a reference to that memory. The new operator also invokes the object constructor.

Note: The phrase «instantiating a class» means the same thing as «creating an object.» When you create an object, you are creating an «instance» of a class, therefore «instantiating» a class.

The new operator requires a single, postfix argument: a call to a constructor. The name of the constructor provides the name of the class to instantiate.

The new operator returns a reference to the object it created. This reference is usually assigned to a variable of the appropriate type, like:

Point originOne = new Point(23, 94); 

The reference returned by the new operator does not have to be assigned to a variable. It can also be used directly in an expression. For example:

int height = new Rectangle().height;

This statement will be discussed in the next section.

Initializing an Object

Here’s the code for the Point class:

This class contains a single constructor. You can recognize a constructor because its declaration uses the same name as the class and it has no return type. The constructor in the Point class takes two integer arguments, as declared by the code (int a, int b). The following statement provides 23 and 94 as values for those arguments:

Point originOne = new Point(23, 94);

The result of executing this statement can be illustrated in the next figure:

Here’s the code for the Rectangle class, which contains four constructors:

public class Rectangle < public int width = 0; public int height = 0; public Point origin; // four constructors public Rectangle() < origin = new Point(0, 0); >public Rectangle(Point p) < origin = p; >public Rectangle(int w, int h) < origin = new Point(0, 0); width = w; height = h; >public Rectangle(Point p, int w, int h) < origin = p; width = w; height = h; >// a method for moving the rectangle public void move(int x, int y) < origin.x = x; origin.y = y; >// a method for computing the area of the rectangle public int getArea() < return width * height; >>

Each constructor lets you provide initial values for the rectangle’s origin, width, and height, using both primitive and reference types. If a class has multiple constructors, they must have different signatures. The Java compiler differentiates the constructors based on the number and the type of the arguments. When the Java compiler encounters the following code, it knows to call the constructor in the Rectangle class that requires a Point argument followed by two integer arguments:

Rectangle rectOne = new Rectangle(originOne, 100, 200);

This calls one of Rectangle ‘s constructors that initializes origin to originOne . Also, the constructor sets width to 100 and height to 200. Now there are two references to the same Point object—an object can have multiple references to it, as shown in the next figure:

The following line of code calls the Rectangle constructor that requires two integer arguments, which provide the initial values for width and height. If you inspect the code within the constructor, you will see that it creates a new Point object whose x and y values are initialized to 0:

Rectangle rectTwo = new Rectangle(50, 100);

The Rectangle constructor used in the following statement doesn’t take any arguments, so it’s called a no-argument constructor:

Rectangle rect = new Rectangle();

All classes have at least one constructor. If a class does not explicitly declare any, the Java compiler automatically provides a no-argument constructor, called the default constructor. This default constructor calls the class parent’s no-argument constructor, or the Object constructor if the class has no other parent. If the parent has no constructor ( Object does have one), the compiler will reject the program.

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Difference between instance and Object in Java

In Java or other object-oriented programming languages, we often use Object and instance word interchangeably, but sometimes it confuses beginners like hell. I have been often asked several times, whether object and instance are the same things or different? Why we sometimes use object and sometimes instances if they are the same thing etc? This gives me the idea to write a little bit about it. I will mostly talk about Java conventions perspective. Just like we use word function in C or C++ for a block of code, which can be called by its same, but in Java, we refer them as methods.

In Java functions are known as methods, similarly, objects are known as instances in Java. You have a class, which represent a blueprint of a real-world thing e.g. Car , and object represents a real-world car like your car, my car, a red car or a blue car. They are also known as instances of the car.

One reason for calling instance may be because they are a representation of that class at a particular instant. In practice, use the instance to say about one particular object, and use an object to talk about many objects. By the way, it’s also worth remembering that Java has a class named Object, or java.lang.Object, which is the master class and every other class extend it.

This is another reason why using instance is better because it will minimize confusion. So use Object when you want to talk about java.lang.Object and use instance when you want to talk about the object of OOPS. Let’s take a look more closely at next section.

Object vs Instances

The basic concept of Object Oriented Programming (OOP) revolves around two things, Class, and Object. The class is the blueprint. The Object is an actual thing that is made up using that ‘blueprint’ (like the car example given above). You cannot see the instances, all you see is code, which is your class. Object or instance are created at run-time and they are created in a specific memory area called heap memory.

Each instance consumes some memory depending upon how much and what value you store. For example «Java» is an instance of String class and holds memory required to represent those characters and to store some metadata. You might have also heard about class method vs instance methods, right? look we hardly call object method.

There is no harm calling instance as an object but if you are following rest of Java convention then why not this one. Do you call Java method function? No right, then there is no point calling instance as an object, it will just create confusion nothing more.

If you are senior Java developer or a trainer then it’s your responsibility to pass right terminology to junior developers. Whatever they will hear from you, it will go a long way, so make sure you feed clear and concise information.

That’s all about the difference between Object and Instance in Java. In general, it’s better to treat instance and object as the same thing to avoid confusion, but if you follow Java convention, better call them instance.

By the way, no matter, what you do; people will use it as per their convenience and you can’t argue with everyone that, no you are talking about the instance, please use instance word, or, No, you are talking about an actual object, please use object word etc.

I would derive an explanation based upon context. In short, use Object to talk about java.lang.Object class and use the instance to talk about the object of OOP.

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