Object-Oriented Programming Principles in Java: OOP Concepts for Beginners

Fundamentals of object-oriented programming

Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm where everything is represented as an object.

Objects pass messages to each other. Each object decides what to do with a received message. OOP focuses on each object’s states and behaviors.

What Are Objects?

An object is an entity that has states and behaviors.

𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀: An object is an instance of a class. It represents a real-world entity that has its own state (attribute values) and behavior (method implementations). Using the "Car" class example, you can create individual objects like "myCar" or "yourCar," each having its own unique attribute values.

For example, dog, cat, and vehicle. To illustrate, a dog has states like age, color, name, and behaviors like eating, sleeping, and running.

State tells us how the object looks or what properties it has.

Behavior tells us what the object does.

We can actually represent a real world dog in a program as a software object by defining its states and behaviors.

Software objects are the actual representation of real world objects. Memory is allocated in RAM whenever creating a logical object.

An object is also referred to an instance of a class. Instantiating a class means the same thing as creating an object.

The important thing to remember when creating an object is: the reference type should be the same type or a super type of the object type. We’ll see what a reference type is later in this article.

What Are Classes?

A class is a blueprint or template that defines the properties (attributes) and behaviors (methods) of an object. It serves as a blueprint for creating individual objects. For example, you can have a class called "Car" that defines the attributes (color, model, year) and behaviors (start, stop, accelerate) of a car.

A class is a template or blueprint from which objects are created.

Imagine a class as a cookie-cutter and objects as cookies.

Classes define states as instance variables and behaviors as instance methods.

Instance variables are also known as member variables.

Classes don't consume any space.

To give you an idea about classes and objects, let's create a Cat class that represents states and behaviors of real world Cat.

public class Cat {
    /*
    Instance variables: states of Cat
     */
    String name;
    int age;
    String color;
    String breed;

    /*
    Instance methods: behaviors of Cat
     */
    void sleep(){

        System.out.println("Sleeping");
    }
    void play(){
        System.out.println("Playing");
    }
    void feed(){
        System.out.println("Eating");
  }

}

Now we have successfully defined a template for Cat. Let’s say we have two cats named Thor and Rambo.

Figure 2: Thor is sleeping

Figure 3: Rambo is playing

How can we define them in our program?

First, we need to create two objects of the Cat class.

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
       Cat thor = new Cat();
       Cat rambo = new Cat();
    }
}

Next, we’ll define their states and behaviors.

public class Main {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
       /*
       Creating objects
        */
       Cat thor = new Cat();
       Cat rambo = new Cat();

       /*
       Defining Thor cat
        */
       thor.name = "Thor";
       thor.age = 3;
       thor.breed = "Russian Blue";
       thor.color = "Brown";

       thor.sleep();

       /*
       Defining Rambo cat
        */
       rambo.name = "Rambo";
       rambo.age = 4;
       rambo.breed = "Maine Coon";
       rambo.color = "Brown";

       rambo.play();
    }

}

Like the above code examples, we can define our class, instantiate it (create objects) and specify the states and behaviors for those objects.
No.
  
  

  
Object
  
  

  
Class
  
 
 

  

  
1)
  
  

  
Object is an instance of a class.
  
  

  
Class is a blueprint or template from which objects are created.
  
 
 

  

  
2)
  
  

  
Object is a real world entity such as pen, laptop, mobile, bed,
  keyboard, mouse, chair etc.
  
  

  
Class is a group of similar objects.
  
 
 

  

  
3)
  
  

  
Object is a physical entity.
  
  

  
Class is a logical entity.
  
 
 

  

  
4)
  
  

  
Object is created through new keyword mainly e.g.

  Student s1=new Student();
  
  

  
Class is declared using class 
keyword e.g.

  class Student{}
  
 
 

  

  
5)
  
  

  
Object is created many times as per requirement.
  
  

  
Class is declared once.
  
 
 

  

  
6)
  
  

  
Object allocates memory when it is created.
  
  

  
Class doesn't allocated memory when it is
  created.
  
 
 

  

  
7)
  
  

  
There are many ways to create object in java such as new keyword,
  newInstance() method, clone() method, factory method and deserialization.
  
  

  
There is only one way to define class in java using class keyword.
  
 




Now, we have covered the basics of object-oriented programming. Let's move on to the principles of object-oriented programming.
Principles of object-oriented programming

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that organizes code into reusable objects that interact with each other. It provides a way to structure and design software by representing real-world objects and their relationships
Encapsulation
Inheritance
Abstraction
Polymorphism
Difference Between Object Based and Object Oriented Languages



 

  

  

  
Object Based Language
  
  

  
Object Oriented Language
  
 
 

  

  
Support of features
  
  

  
Object Based
  Language does not support all the features of   Oops
  
  

  
Object Oriented
  Language supports all the features of Oops.
  
 
 

  

  
Inheritance
  
  

  
Object Based
  Language Does Not Support Oops feature i.e. Inheritance.
  
  

  
Object Oriented
  Language supports all the Features of Oops including Inheritance.
  
 
 

  

  
Sample
  
  

  
Visual Basic is an
  Object based   Programming Language  because you can use class
  and Object here but can not inherit one class from another class i.e. it does
  not support Inheritance.
  
  

  
Java is an Object
  Oriented Languages because it supports all the concepts of Oops like Data
  Encapsulation, Polymorphism,Inheritance,Data Abstraction , Dynamic Binding
  etc.
  
 
 

  

  
Example
  
  

  
Javascript, VB
  are       example of Object Based Language.
  
  

  
C#, Java, VB. Net
  are example of Object Oriented Languages.
  
 

Advantages of OOPS:

1)OOPs makes development and maintenance easier 
2)OOPs provides data hiding 
3)it avoids duplicate code
4)oops show functionality to the user and hides internal logic
5) improve the overall design and structure of their software.
Encapsulation:
Encapsulation is a process of wrapping data and methods together into a single unit that can operate on data within a class.
𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Encapsulation is the mechanism of hiding the internal details and implementation of an object from the outside world. It ensures that the object's internal state can only be accessed through well-defined methods (getters and setters), providing data security and abstraction
Essentially, it is the idea of hiding data within a class, preventing anything outside that class from directly interacting with it.
Members of other classes can interact with the attributes of another object through its methods.
Remember methods are the functions defined within the class.
It's just like a capsule that contains a mix of several medicines, and is a technique that helps keep instance variables protected.
This can be achieved by using private access modifiers that can’t be accessed by anything outside the class. In order to access private states safely, we have to provide public getter and setter methods. Getter methods are used to retrieving information and setter methods are used to change the information of the members.
Let’s say there is a record shop that sells music albums of different artists and a stock keeper who manages them.


 Figure 4: Class diagram without encapsulation

If you look at figure 4, the StockKeeper class can access the Album class’s states directly as Album class’s states are set to public.
What if the stock keeper creates an album and sets states to negative values? This can be done intentionally or unintentionally by a stock keeper.
To illustrate, let’s see a sample Java program that explains the above diagram and statement.
Album class:
public class Album {
    public String name;
    public String artist;
    public double price;
    public int numberOfCopies;
    public void sellCopies(){
        if(numberOfCopies > 0){
            numberOfCopies--;
            System.out.println("One album has sold!");
        }
        else{
            System.out.println("No more albums available!");
        }
    }
    public void orderCopies(int num){
        numberOfCopies += num;
    }
}

StockKeeper class:
public class StockKeeper {
 

 public String name;

 public StockKeeper(String name){
 this.name = name;
 

} 
public void manageAlbum(Album album, String name, String artist, double price, int numberOfCopies){
 

/*
       Defining states and behaviors for album
       */
        album.name = name;
        album.artist = artist;
        album.price = price;
        album.numberOfCopies = numberOfCopies;

       /*
       Printing album details
        */
        System.out.println("Album managed by :"+ this.name);
        System.out.println("Album details::::::::::");
        System.out.println("Album name : " + album.name);
        System.out.println("Album artist : " + album.artist);
        System.out.println("Album price : " + album.price);
        System.out.println("Album number of copies : " + album.numberOfCopies);
    }
}
Main class:
public class Main { 
public static void main(String[] args) { 
StockKeeper johnDoe = new StockKeeper("John Doe"); /*
 Stock keeper creates album and assigns negative values for price and number of copies available
 */
 johnDoe.manageAlbum(new Album(), "Slippery When Wet", "Bon Jovi", -1000.00, -50);
 }
}

Output:
Album managed by :John Doe
Album details::::::::::
Album name : Slippery When Wet
Album artist : Bon Jovi
Album price : -1000.0
Album number of copies : -50

The album’s price and number of copies can’t be negative values. How can we avoid this situation? This is where we use encapsulation.

Figure 5: Class diagram with encapsulation

In this scenario, we can block the stock keeper from assigning negative values. If they attempt to assign negative values for the album’s price and number of copies, we’ll assign them as 0.0 and 0.

Album class:

public class Album {
    private String name;
    private String artist;
    private double price;
    private int numberOfCopies;
    public void sellCopies(){
        if(numberOfCopies > 0){
            numberOfCopies--;
            System.out.println("One album has sold!");
        }
        else{
            System.out.println("No more albums available!");
        }
    }
    public void orderCopies(int num){
        numberOfCopies += num;
    }
   public String getName() {
      return name;
   }
   public void setName(String name) {
      this.name = name;
   }
   public String getArtist() {
      return artist;
   }
   public void setArtist(String artist) {
      this.artist = artist;
   }
   public double getPrice() {
      return price;
   }
   public void setPrice(double price) {
      if(price > 0) {
         this.price = price;          
      }
      else {
         this.price = 0.0;
      }
   }
   public int getNumberOfCopies() {
      return numberOfCopies;
   }
   public void setNumberOfCopies(int numberOfCopies) {
      if(numberOfCopies > 0) {
         this.numberOfCopies = numberOfCopies;        
      }
      else {
         this.numberOfCopies = 0;
      }
   }
}

StockKeeper class:

public class StockKeeper {

 private String name;

    StockKeeper(String name){
        setName(name);
    }
    public void manageAlbum(Album album, String name, String artist, double price, int numberOfCopies){
         /*
          Defining states and behaviors for album
          */
        album.setName(name);
        album.setArtist(artist);
        album.setPrice(price);
        album.setNumberOfCopies(numberOfCopies);
          /*
          Printing album details
           */
        System.out.println("Album managed by :"+ getName());
        System.out.println("Album details::::::::::");
        System.out.println("Album name : " + album.getName());
        System.out.println("Album artist : " + album.getArtist());
        System.out.println("Album price : " + album.getPrice());
        System.out.println("Album number of copies : " + album.getNumberOfCopies());
    }
    public String getName() {
        return name;
    }
    public void setName(String name) {
        this.name = name;
    }
}

Main class:
public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
       StockKeeper johnDoe = new StockKeeper("John Doe");
       /*
       Stock keeper creates album and assigns negative values for price and number of copies available
        */
       johnDoe.manageAlbum(new Album(), "Slippery When Wet", "Bon Jovi", -1000.00, -50);
    }
}

Output:
Album managed by :John Doe
Album details::::::::::
Album name : Slippery When Wet
Album artist : Bon Jovi
Album price : 0.0
Album number of copies : 0

With encapsulation, we’ve blocked our stock keeper from assigning negative values, meaning we have control over the data.

Advantages of encapsulation in Java

1. We can make a class read-only or write-only: for a read-only class, we should provide only a getter method. For a write-only class, we should provide only a setter method.
2. Control over the data: we can control the data by providing logic to setter methods, just like we restricted the stock keeper from assigning negative values in the above example.
3. Data hiding: other classes can’t access private members of a class directly.

Real Time Example:  

ü Ink is the important component in pen but it is hiding by some other material

ü Medical capsule

Let's consider capsule. If combinations of medicine are variables and methods then the

capsule will act as a class and the whole process is called Encapsulation.

School bag is one of the most real examples of Encapsulation. School bag can keep

our books, pens etc.

First Real-time example: 

When you log into your email account such as Gmail, Yahoo mail, Rediff mail etc then there

 is a lot of internal processes taking place in the backend. and you have no control over it.

 When you enter the password for logging then they are retrieved in an encrypted form and

verified and then you are given the access to your account. You do not have control over it

that how the password is verified and this keeps it safe from misuse.

Second Real-time Example:

Suppose you have an account in the bank. If your balance variable is defined as a public

variable in the bank software then your account balance will be known public then,

 in this case, anyone can know your account balance. So do you like it? Obviously No. 

   So for making your account safe, they declare balance variable as private so that

anyone cannot see your account balance and the person who have to see account

balance then they will have to access private members only through methods

defined inside that class and this method will ask your account holder name or user Id, or

 password for authentication. 

Thus, security is achieved by utilizing the concept of data hiding. This is called Encapsulation.

How to achieve Encapsulation in java? 

                        OR

How to implement Encapsulation in java?

➝ Declaring the instance variable of the class as private. so that it cannot be accessed

directly by anyone from outside the class.

➝ Provide the public setter and getter methods in the class to set/modify the values of the

variable/fields.

Since getter and setter methods are widely used in Java programming but not everyone

 understands and implements these methods properly.  So I would like to understand about

getter and setter methods clearly.

What are getter and setter methods?

In Java. the setter method is a method which is used for updating values of a variable.

 This method is also known as mutator method. Whereas getter method is a method

 which is used to retrieve the value of a variable or return the value of the private

member variable. This method is also known as an accessor method.