Foundations in Programming - Lecture Notes - Classes, Objects, and Methods

Learning
objec<ves
Decomposi<on of a solu<on into objects and
methods
Methods
Classes, Objects, and Methods
Sta<c methods
Instance methods
CS160
Spring 2012

Sharing data between methods

Local Data
Class Data
10/8/2012
Problem Decomposi<on
But shouldnt the language help us decompose

problems?
Read input
Figure out the loop structure
it does!
Decompose a big method into smaller methods
Ini<alize variables (loop counters, accumula<ng

variables, such as totals)
Find an appropriate loop termina<ng condi<on
Figure out what happens inside a loop
We will see two ways of doing this (sta<c and

instance methods)
Decompose into objects (and classes)
Perhaps nested loops
We introduce this topic with a simple example, but

more details are covered in CS161, CS200, CS314, ...
Print output
CS 160, Fall Semester 2012
Problem Decomposi<on (contd)
As discussed in previous slides:
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Methods
Mysteries Revealed
A method (a.k.a. func<on, procedure, rou<ne)

is a piece of code that performs a useful ac<on
public class Temperature {

public static void main(String[] args) {
// your code here
}
}
You dened a rou<ne called main.

When you run a Java program, it always begins by
running the main method.
Methods can also return a value to the program

that called them
More details in a minute
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In the last assignment

(P7), you defined a
class called
Temperature!
5
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Terminology
They are of two types
Combines variables with methods
A class is like a set (denes the proper<es of

the elements)
An object is an instance of a class
Objects are elements of the set (an object has
the proper<es dened in the class)
Data inside objects and classes
A class is a data type
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You also defined a method

(think function) called main
that took an array of Strings as
its arguments
They may belong to the class (and will take the

same value for all the objects)
They may belong to the object (and can take
dierent values for each object)
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Another mystery: sta<c
public sta<c void main
In order to call a method, you need an

instance of the class
Remember that magic incanta<on at the start

of your program?
You must have a String variable called word to call word.length()

The length() method can access data in the instance it is called on
Such methods are called instance methods
main is the name of your method

main is the method called by the OS
void says that the main func<on does not return a value
Excep<on: sta<c methods
What would the OS do with a return value?
sta<c promises that main will not access instance

variables
Not all methods need to access data specic to objects

Sta<c declares that a method will not access instance data
Sta<c methods can be called without a class instance
Uses the nota<on classname.method()
Sta<c methods may access class data, but not instance data
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Because the OS needs to call it without crea<ng a class instance
public is des<ned to remain a mystery just a bit longer.
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import java.u<l.Scanner;
public class SnowRemoval {
public sta<c void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Enter your address:");
Scanner keyboard = new Scanner(System.in);
String address = keyboard.nextLine();
int delay = snowService(address);
if(delay==0)
System.out.println("My driveway is safe now);
else // assume status is non-nega<ve
System.out.println(I have to wait for + delay + hours);
}
main is an example of a sta<c method

It can only access class variables (or sta<c
variables)
Therefore main cannot access instance
variables. To use instance variables, we will
have main create an instance of its class
But rst, lets see some sta<c methods
First we will see sta<c methods that dont share data
Then we will see sta<c methods that can share data
10
Simple example (main method

calling snowService)
Sta<c methods
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12
Simple example (snowService

method)
Using arguments and return values

public sta<c int snowService(String home){
System.out.prink("Clearing driveway of %s...", home);
System.out.println(done");
System.out.println("Clearing sidewalk");
return 0;
}
}

10/8/2012
Communica<on between
calling and called methods
Method parameters:
Method declares a parameter formal parameter (String home) to
state what can be provided by the Caller of the method
There can be zero to any number of parameters
Method return type and value:

Can return void (i.e., nothing) or a type (e.g., int, char, int[], String, etc)
If a type is returned, there must be a return statement in the method
body
Calling method (in this case main):
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10/8/2012
Communica<on using sta<c

variables
public class Fun {
sta<c int data = 0;
public sta<c void main (String[] args) {
System.out.println(Storing 5 into store);
store(5);
System.out.println(Retrieving + retrieve() + from store);
}
public sta<c void store(int value) {
data = value;
}
public sta<c int retrieve() {
return data;
}
}

10/8/2012
Supplies arguments (actual parameters) that must match the type of

the parameters in the method declara<on
Uses the return value to do something
14
Cau<on: Pass by value

What do you expect this to print?
public class PassByValue {
int num = 100;
increment(num);
System.out.println("Aoer calling increment, num is " + num);
}
public sta<c void increment(int n) {
n++;
}
}
15
The value of the argument is copied. Any changes to the copy

are not reected in the original argument.
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16
Incorrect Swapping
Cau<on: Pass by value

Another example
public class PassByValueString {
String word = new String("Good morning");
changeGree<ng(word);
System.out.println("Aoer calling changeGree<ng, word is " + word);
}

public sta<c void changeGree<ng(String w) {
w = new String("Good night");
}
}
Gree<ng remains unchanged

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17
public class Swapper {

String s1 = "Mar<n";
String s2 = "Scorcese";
swap(s1, s2);
System.out.println(main: Aoer swap, s1=" +s1+ " and s2=" +s2);
}

public sta<c void swap(String x, String y) {

System.out.println(swap: Before swap, x= +x+ and y= +y);
String temp = x; x = y; y = temp;
System.out.println(swap: Aoer swap, x=" +x+ " and y=" +y);
}
}
Nothing gets swapped!

10/8/2012
Simplifying Temperatures main

method
Refer to sample program version 2 (called

Temperature2.java)
In version 1, processCity was doing three
logical tasks:
Ini<alizing the counters
Reading the le to set the counters
Prin<ng the histogram
Check the number of command-line args

Print error message and exit if there are no arguments
Otherwise, loop through each argument and
Version 2 makes two new methods, one for

reading the le and the other for prin<ng the
histogram
call processCity on each argument

18
Decomposing processCity
Original code with one long main method

(Temperature0.java)
Refer to sample program version 1 (called
Temperature1.java)

Pseudo-code
10/8/2012
19
10/8/2012
20
Further simplica<on
Use methods for subtasks
For prin<ng the histogram, prin<ng stars can be

taken out as a separate method (see
Temperature3.java)
There can be many dierent ways of decomposing a
solu<on
The general rule is:

Break subtasks into tasks un<l tasks are trivial
Every subtask is a method
Some methods (subtasks) may call others
Reuse can be taken into account

Ooen, smaller methods can be reused in other programs
Top-down thinking
Break up a big program into smaller pieces

The main method calls the other pieces. The
pieces can themselves call other pieces
10/8/2012
21
10/8/2012
Objects
The idea is that a program manipulates data

via methods (func<ons)
A set of methods (think: func<ons)

A set of members (think: variables)
In P7, the temperature les were an important

collec<on of data
So, too, was the names of the text les submised
by the user on the command line
You wrote a method (called main)
Fancy CS buzzwords:
Objects encapsulate data and func3onality
Objects encapsulate behavior and state
22
Objects: Concept
An object in Java is
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24
Object Example: String
Another example: Scanner

Scanner is a more complex object
Its data is a stream of characters
You have been using objects all along

String is an example of an object in Java
May come from a le

May come from the terminal (a stream)
May come from a string
The characters are the data in the object

Methods include:
Its ac<ons are to parse and interpret the

characters
length() : how long is the string?

charAt(int): what character is at a given posi<on?
Syntax:
next() returns the next valid string

nextInt() returns the next valid integer
nextDouble() returns the next valid double
and there are many more (see on-line Java
reference)
You call an objects method using . and args ()

E.g.: word.charAt(5); word.length()
You access an objects data using just .

10/8/2012
25
10/8/2012
Yet another example: arrays
Classes are data types (just like primi<ves):

int counter;
String word;
MyClass example;
Their data is a set of variables of the type

provided
Their data includes a variable that stores the
length of the array
By conven<on, class names are capitalized

Variables with object types s<ll need names
Note that array lengths are stored in variables, not

computed by func<ons
This is why there are no ()s aoer args, if args is an
array.
26
Classes as data types
Arrays are the simplest objects
10/8/2012
E.g. counter, word, and example above
Variables cannot be used un<l they are assigned

values
True for both primi<ve and object types
27
10/8/2012
28
Object Instances
More Mysteries Revealed
The value assigned to a variable of an

object type is an object instance
Scanner terminal = new Scanner(System.in);
Just like 9 is an instance of int (except that

int is not a class, its a primi<ve type)
For example:
Scanner aisvariable
an object
class
Declares
called
parses
that
terminal
ofcharacter
type Scanner
streams so that they can be
easily read as strings, ints
or other data types
String word = new String(the);

word is a variable of type String.
String(the) creates an instance of String
All 0bject instances are created using the

keyword new.
10/8/2012
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10/8/2012
Methods inside a class

Generally constructors are wrisen rst
Shared data problem: what if two methods need to

share data?
30
Method1 for subtask 1 returns a value,v

Method2 for subtask 2 uses the value,v
Example:
public sta+c void main(String[] args) {
String[] wordList = readInput();
processWords(wordList);
}

One subtask reads input and creates an array of words

Another subtask checks each word in the array and does
something with it
Solu<on #1
Order of wri<ng methods is arbitrary
10/8/2012
Initializes
be a
System
is terminal
an objecttoinstance
specific
Scanner
that reads
that
holds
information
about
from
System.in
the
system
you are on. The
data in within System
describes the input device
your terminal.
31
10/8/2012
32
Solu<on #2
Data Variables in Classes
Use instance variables
How does a method access data in a class?
Dene String[] wordList; as an instance variable

Any method of a class can access its variables
Every method can access the class instance it is called on

Think of word.length(); it can access the data in the string word
Think of the class instance as a hidden argument to the method
readInput() can create & write the array

processWords() can access it
Class variables look like any other variables in the code of

a method
They do not need to be re-declared
10/8/2012
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10/8/2012
Simple example
public class Course {
private String department, number
private String[] sec<ons = new String[2];
public Course(String dept, String num) {
department = dept;
number = num;
}
public String getFullName(){
return new String(department + " " + number);
}
Course c1 = new Course("CS", "160");
System.out.println(c1.getFullName());
}
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}
34
Temperature example using

instance methods
Refer to the example posted under sample programs.
This is version 4 (called Temperature4.java).
Shows one way to dene a constructor and instance methods
that operate on the objects data.
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10/8/2012
36

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Learning

Classes, Objects, and Methods

Sharing data between methods

But shouldnt the language help us decompose

Decompose a big method into smaller methods

Ini<alize variables (loop counters, accumula<ng

We will see two ways of doing this (sta<c and

Decompose into objects (and classes)

Perhaps nested loops

We introduce this topic with a simple example, but

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

Problem Decomposi<on (contd)

As discussed in previous slides:

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

A method (a.k.a. func<on, procedure, rou<ne)

public class Temperature {

You dened a rou<ne called main.

Methods can also return a value to the program

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

In the last assignment

They are of two types

Combines variables with methods

A class is like a set (denes the proper<es of

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

Data inside objects and classes

A class is a data type

You also defined a method

They may belong to the class (and will take the

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

Another mystery: sta<c

public sta<c void main

In order to call a method, you need an

Remember that magic incanta<on at the start

You must have a String variable called word to call word.length()

main is the name of your method

Excep<on: sta<c methods

What would the OS do with a return value?

sta<c promises that main will not access instance

Not all methods need to access data specic to objects

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

Because the OS needs to call it without crea<ng a class instance

public is des<ned to remain a mystery just a bit longer.

main is an example of a sta<c method

Simple example (main method

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

Simple example (snowService

Using arguments and return values

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

Method return type and value:

Calling method (in this case main):

Communica<on using sta<c

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

Supplies arguments (actual parameters) that must match the type of

Cau<on: Pass by value

The value of the argument is copied. Any changes to the copy

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

Cau<on: Pass by value

Gree<ng remains unchanged

CS 160, Fall Semester 2012

public class Swapper {