OOPs Concepts in Java: Encapsulation, Abstraction, Inheritance, Polymorphism

OOPs concepts in java: An Overview

Object-oriented programming is one of the most important features in the development field. Object-oriented programming was created in the year 1970. Let's understand the concepts of Java oops concepts, Object-Oriented Programming in Java, and oops concepts in Java with examples, in this article including Java training.

What is the OOPs Concept?

Object-oriented programming is one of the fundamental concepts of programming that helps developers to bind functions and data together with the help of objects and classes. The OOPs concept in Java assists the programmers in controlling and accessing the data and implementing this to improve the readability and reusability of the code. In Java, every class has some objects. Every object has some methods and properties associated with it. After combining them it will build the structure of object-oriented programming. The OOPs concept in Java depends on the 4 core concepts, which are:

1. Abstraction
2. Inheritance
3. Encapsulation
4. Polymorphism

What are classes and objects in Java?

• Classes in oops concepts in Java are "local entity" that does not require any memory space without the object.
• It is a blueprint of Java programming. In Java "class" keyword is used to declare a class such as objects, methods, variables, etc. that are situated inside the class.
• For instance, an architectural drawing of a building is called a blueprint as well as it can be called a "class" and the building that is created according to the blueprint is called an "object".
• The class represents the working and structure of an object by using variables and attributes of the data and the method or the member functions.
• Data attributes assist in defining the member functions in Java.

Syntax:

<access-modifier> class <className>
{
  // data attributes;
  // member functions()
}

A class consists of some elements that are

• Class: It defines the particular class
• Access Modifiers: It defines if the class should be "public", "private", "package-level (default)" or "protected".
• Class Name: Give a name to the class
• Superclass: It mentions the name of the superclass if there are any
• Interface: Mentions the name of the super interface if there is any
• Body: It represents the body of the class with {} these curly braces.

Fundamental Pillars of OOPs Concept

There are four fundamental Pillars of OOPs Concept in Java, which are

1. Abstraction
2. Encapsulation
3. Inheritance
4. Polymorphism

Encapsulation in Java

• In object-oriented programming (OOP), encapsulation groups data and methods into a class while hiding implementation-specifics and exposing a public interface.
• Encapsulation in Java includes limiting direct access by defining instance variables as private.
• There are defined public getters and setters for these variables.
• Data validation as well as consistent internal state management within the class are made possible by the use of getters, which obtain variable values, and setters, which make changes.

Example

public class Person {
    private String name;
    private int age;    // Constructor
    public Person(String name, int age) {
        this.name = name;
        this.age = age;
    }    // Getter for name
    public String getName() {
        return name;
    }    // Setter for name
    public void setName(String name) {
        this.name = name;
    }    // Getter for age
    public int getAge() {
        return age;
    }    // Setter for age
    public void setAge(int age) {
        if (age > 0) {
            this.age = age;
        } else {
            System.out.println("Age cannot be negative.");
        }
    }    // Display person information
    public void displayInfo() {
        System.out.println("Name: " + name);
        System.out.println("Age: " + age);
    }    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Create a Person object
        Person person = new Person("Alice", 30);        // Access and modify fields using getters and setters
        person.setName("Bob");
        person.setAge(25);        // Display person information
        person.displayInfo();
    }}

The 'Person' class in this Java example is defined as having private name and age fields as well as getter and setter methods. It creates an object called "Person," modifies its name and age, and then updates the data displayed.

Output

Name: Bob
Age: 25

Abstraction in Java

• Abstraction in Java is achieved through interfaces and abstract classes.
• 100% abstraction can be achieved using interfaces.
• Data abstraction involves identifying only the essential characteristics of an object while ignoring irrelevant details.
• The properties and behaviors of an object distinguish it from other objects of the same type and help in classifying or grouping objects.

Example

// Abstract class representing a shape
abstract class Shape {
    // Abstract method to calculate the area of the shape
    public abstract double calculateArea();    // Abstract method to calculate the perimeter of the shape
    public abstract double calculatePerimeter();
}// Concrete class representing a Circle
class Circle extends Shape {
    private double radius;    public Circle(double radius) {
        this.radius = radius;
    }    @Override
    public double calculateArea() {
        return Math.PI * radius * radius;
    }    @Override
    public double calculatePerimeter() {
        return 2 * Math.PI * radius;
    }
}// Concrete class representing a Rectangle
class Rectangle extends Shape {
    private double length;
    private double width;    public Rectangle(double length, double width) {
        this.length = length;
        this.width = width;
    }    @Override
    public double calculateArea() {
        return length * width;
    }    @Override
    public double calculatePerimeter() {
        return 2 * (length + width);
    }
}public class AbstractionExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Creating objects of Circle and Rectangle
        Circle circle = new Circle(5);
        Rectangle rectangle = new Rectangle(4, 6);        // Using the abstracted methods to calculate area and perimeter
        System.out.println("Circle - Area: " + circle.calculateArea() + ", Perimeter: " + circle.calculatePerimeter());
        System.out.println("Rectangle - Area: " + rectangle.calculateArea() + ", Perimeter: " + rectangle.calculatePerimeter());
    }
}

This Java program shows the concept of abstraction by defining the abstract classes "Shape" "calculateArea()" and "calculatePerimeter()," respectively. 'Circle' and 'Rectangle' are concrete subclasses that derive from 'Shape' and offer particular implementations for these methods to determine the area and perimeter of circles and rectangles. The area and perimeter of objects of type "Circle" and "Rectangle" are calculated and displayed in the "main" method.

Output

Circle - Area: 78.53981633974483, Perimeter: 31.41592653589793
Rectangle - Area: 24.0, Perimeter: 20.0

Inheritance in Java

• A key component of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) in Java is inheritance.
• The attributes (fields) and behaviors (methods) of one class may be inherited by another class.
• Creating new classes based on preexisting ones is what inheritance is all about.
• A subclass or derived class is one that derives from another class.
• The superclass or base class is the one from which the subclass inherits.
• The properties and methods of a superclass can be used by a subclass.
• To increase the functionality of the superclass, subclasses can also add additional fields and methods.
• In Java, inheritance encourages the reuse of existing code and the development of hierarchies of related classes.

There are three types of Inheritance in Java:

1. Single Inheritance: This is a single level Inheritance with one subclass with the properties of super class
2. Hierarchical Inheritance: It multiplied one parent class with child classes
3. Multilevel Inheritance: If there are 3 classes named A, B, and C then class B inherits the properties of class A and class C inherits the properties of class B

Example

// Base class (superclass)class Animal {
    String name;    public Animal(String name) {
        this.name = name;
    }    public void eat() {
        System.out.println(name + " is eating.");
    }    public void sleep() {
        System.out.println(name + " is sleeping.");
    }
}// Derived class (subclass)
class Dog extends Animal {
    public Dog(String name) {
        super(name);
    }    public void bark() {
        System.out.println(name + " is barking.");
    }
}public class InheritanceExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Create a Dog object
        Dog myDog = new Dog("Buddy");        // Call methods from the base class (Animal)
        myDog.eat();
        myDog.sleep();        // Call a method from the derived class (Dog)
        myDog.bark();
    }
}

The 'Dog' class in this Java example inherits from the 'Animal' class to show inheritance in action. The 'Dog' class adds its own method 'bark' and inherits the 'eat' and 'sleep' methods from the 'Animal' class. A "Dog" object called "Buddy" is created in the "main" method, and its methods are used to demonstrate how a subclass can utilize and expand the features of its superclass.

Output

Buddy is eating.
Buddy is sleeping.
Buddy is barking.

Polymorphism in Java

• A key component of object-oriented programming (OOP) is polymorphism.
• It makes it possible to carry out a single activity in a variety of ways.
• One interface or function signature may have many implementations thanks to polymorphism.
• In polymorphism, the word "poly" refers to "many," and "morphs" refers to "forms," therefore polymorphism simply means "many forms."
• It supports OOP's flexibility and code reuse.
• Method overloading and method overriding are frequently used to achieve polymorphism.
• Removing the underlying implementation details facilitates code maintenance and improves code readability.
• In order to achieve dynamic binding, also known as late binding, where the exact method to be executed is determined at runtime, polymorphism is an essential concept.

There are two types of Polymorphism, such as

1. Compile-time Polymorphism- is used for expressing the overloading in Java programming
2. Run-time Polymorphism- it is used for expressing overriding.

Example

class Shape {
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing a shape");
    }
}class Circle extends Shape {
    @Override
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing a circle");
    }
}class Rectangle extends Shape {
    @Override
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing a rectangle");
    }
}public class PolymorphismExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Shape shape1 = new Circle();
        Shape shape2 = new Rectangle();       
 shape1.draw(); // Calls the draw() method of Circle
        shape2.draw(); // Calls the draw() method of Rectangle
    }
}

In this Java example, objects from subclasses ('Circle' and 'Rectangle') are assigned to a superclass reference ('Shape'), and method calls on these references dynamically invoke the overridden 'draw' method in the corresponding subclass, printing "Drawing a circle" and "Drawing a rectangle" as a result.

Output

Drawing a circle 
Drawing a rectangle

Advantages of OOPs Concepts in Java

• Using object-oriented programming in Java enhances the readability and reusability of the code and saves development time
• Method like Inheritance in OOPs concepts eliminates the importance of code redundancy
• It builds easy communication between objects and classes
• It gives the highest security by using functions like data abstraction and hiding
• It is easy to maintain as the modules of OOPs are very flexible

Disadvantages of OOPs Concepts in Java

• Program size in OOPs is much larger than in other methods
• It requires much knowledge and effort to create a perfect OOPs-based code
• It executes at a slower time than other methods.

FAQs

1. What are the 4 pillars of OOP in Java?

Encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, & abstraction are the four pillars of OOP in Java.

2. What is the full concept of OOP?

In its complete form, object-oriented programming (OOP) promotes concepts like inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction for improved code structure and reusability by structuring software into objects that encompass both data and behavior.

3. Who is the father of OOP?

The originator of OOP is often referred to as Alan Kay.

4. What is an abstraction in OOP?

In object-oriented programming (OOP), abstraction is the process of decomposing large systems into their basic components while hiding additional information.

5. What is encapsulation in Java?

In Java, encapsulation is an approach that blocks direct access to an object's internal state and groups data (attributes) and methods (functions) that manipulate the data into a single unit called a class, giving the user control over data access and change.

Summary

This article gives a proper idea of what is OOPs in Java and the OOPs principle in Java. So, these were some of the features of OOPs and OOPs concepts in Java that you must know if you wish to pursue a career in Java programming. Of course, there are many other such concepts too, including Java Certification Training, but these are the ones that form the base of this programming language. 

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