Core Java Notes- Part I

Designing a class:
Think about objects created from the class.
· Things the object knows about itself-> instance variable
· Things the object does-> methods.
Note: think of instance as another way of saying object.
Difference between a class and a object:
Note: a class is not an object
->class is used to construct an object
A class is an blueprint for an object
-> tells the virtual machine how to make an object of the particular type.
Example: An object is like one entry in your address book.
The two uses of main:
1. To test your real class.
2. To launch/ start your java application.
The Heap
Each time an object is created in java, it goes into an area of memory known as the Heap. All objects created live on the heap.
Note: The java heap is actually called as Garbage collectable heap.
Java manages the memory for you. When the JVM can see that an object can never be used again, that object becomes eligible for garbage collection. And if you are running low on memory, the garbage collector will run, throw out the unreachable objects, and free up the space, so that the space can be reused.


Marking a method as public and static:
Marking a method as public and static makes it behave much like a ‘global’.
Note: Any code in any class of your application can access a public static method.
If you mark a variable as public, static and final, you have essentially made a globally available constant.
Variables
2 flavours of variables,
· Primitive
· Reference
Primitive: Hold fundamental values including integers, Booleans and floating point numbers.
Object references: hold, well, references to objects.
Two declare a variable you must follow two rules:
1. variables must have a type.
2. variables must have a name.
Example:
int count
here,
int ==> Type, and
count ==> Name.
Note: A variable is just a container that holds something.


You can assign a value to a variable in one of several ways including:
> Type a literal value after the equal sign, eg., x=12, isgod=true; etc.,
> assign the value of one variable to another (x=y).
> use an expression combining the two. Eg.(x=y+43).
Note: You need a name and a type for your variables
int size = 32
here ,
int ==> Type,
size ==> Name, and
32 ==> Literal

Safe naming rules for a class method or variable:
· it must start with a letter, underscore(_), or dollar sign($).you can’t start a name with a number.
· After the first character you can use the number as well.
· It can be anything you like, subject to those two rules, just so long as it isn’t one of java’s reserved words.

Reserved words Table:
Non-Primitive Variables/Objects:
There is actually no such thing as an object variables
There is only an object reference variable.
An object reference variable holds bits that representation way to access an object. And the JVM knows how to use the reference to get to the object.
Note: Objects live in one place-the garbage collectible heap!
Arrays: Arrays are always objects, whether they are declared to hold primitives or object references.
Note: once you have declared an array, you can’t put anything in it except things that are of the declared array type.
Bullet Points:
Variables come in two flavours,
1. Primitive
2. Reference
Variables must always be declared with a name and a type.
A primitive variable value is the bits representing a way to get to an object on the heap.
A reference variable is like a remote control using the dot operator (.) on a reference variable is like pressing a button on the remote control to access a method or instance variable.
A reference variable has a value of null when it is not referencing any object.
An array is always an object, even if the array is declared to hold primitives. There is no such thing as a primitive array, only an array that holds primitives
Note: Java is pass-by-value (i.e) pass-by-copy.
Bullet Points:
· Classes define what an object knows and what an object does.
· Things an object knows are its instance variables(state).
· Things an object does are its methods(behaviour).
· Methods can use instance variables so that objects of the same type can behave differently.
· A method can have parameters, which means you can pass one or more values into the method.
· The number and type of values you pass in must match the order and type of the parameters declared by the method.
· Values passed in and out of methods can be implicitly promoted to a larger type or explicitly cast to a smaller type.
· The value you pass as an argument to a method can be a literal value (2, ‘c’,etc) or a variable of the declared parameter type (for example, x where x is an int variable).
· A method must declare a return type. A void return type means the method doesn’t return type.
Encapsulation ==> Hide the data:
Rule of thumb: Mark your instance variables private and provide public getters and setters for access control.
The difference between instance and local variable.
instance variable are declared inside a class but not within a method.
local variables are declared within a method.
local variables must be initialized before use.
Note: Local variables do not get a default value! The compiler complains if you try to use a local variable before the variable is initialized.
Note: Method parameters are virtually the same as local variables. But method parameters will never get a compiler error telling you that a parameter variable might not have been initialized.