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\chapter{Designing Classes}
\index{object!type}
\index{type!object}
Whenever you create a new class, you are creating a new object type with the same name.
So way back in Section~\ref{hello}, when we created the class \java{Hello}, we also created an object type named \java{Hello}.
We didn't declare any variables with type \java{Hello}, and we didn't use \java{new} to create \java{Hello} objects.
And it wouldn't have done much good if we had---but we could have!
In this chapter, you will learn to design classes that represent {\em useful} objects. Here are the main ideas:
\begin{itemize}
\item Again, defining a {\bf class} creates a new object type with the same name.
\index{class!definition}
\item A class definition is a template for objects: it specifies what attributes the objects have and what methods can operate on them.
\index{instance}
\item Every object belongs to some object type; that is, it is an {\bf instance} of some class.
\index{instantiate}
\item The \java{new} operator {\bf instantiates} objects; that is, it creates new instances of a class.
%\item The design of a class (what methods it has) determines whether the objects are mutable or immutable.
% \item The methods that operate on an object type are defined in the class for that object.
\end{itemize}
Think of a class like a blueprint for a house: you can use the same blueprint to build any number of houses.
%slr: 12-25-19
The individual houses are objects; the blueprint is the class.
%slr: end 12-25-19
\section{The Time Class}
%\index{data encapsulation}
%\index{encapsulation!data}
A common reason to define a new class is to encapsulate related data in an object that can be treated as a single unit.
That way, we can use objects as parameters and return values, rather than passing and returning multiple values.
%This design principle is called {\bf data encapsulation}.
We have already seen two types that encapsulate data in this way: \java{Point} and \java{Rectangle}.
\index{class!Time}
\index{Time}
Another example, which we will implement ourselves, is \java{Time}, which represents a time of day.
The data encapsulated in a \java{Time} object include an hour, a minute, and a number of seconds.
Because every \java{Time} object contains these values, we define attributes to hold them.
\index{instance variable}
\index{variable!instance}
Attributes are also called {\bf instance variables}, because each instance has its own variables (as opposed to ``class variables'', coming up in Section~\ref{classvar}).
The first step is to decide what type each variable should be.
It seems clear that \java{hour} and \java{minute} should be integers.
Just to keep things interesting, let's make \java{second} a double.
Instance variables are declared at the beginning of the class definition, outside of any method.
By itself, this code fragment is a legal class definition:
\begin{code}
public class Time {
private int hour;
private int minute;
private double second;
}
\end{code}
\index{private}
\index{variable!private}
The \java{Time} class is \java{public}, which means that it can be used in other classes.
But the instance variables are \java{private}, which means they can only be accessed from inside the \java{Time} class.
If you try to read or write them from another class, you will get a compiler error.
\index{information hiding}
Private instance variables help keep classes isolated from each other, so that changes in one class won't require changes in other classes.
It also simplifies what other programmers need to know to use your classes.
This kind of isolation is called {\bf information hiding}.
\section{Constructors}
\index{constructor}
\index{method!constructor}
After declaring instance variables, the next step is to define a {\bf constructor}, which is a special method that initializes the object.
The syntax for constructors is similar to that of other methods, except:
\index{static}
\begin{itemize}
\item The name of the constructor is the same as the name of the class.
\item Constructors have no return type (and no return value).
\item The keyword \java{static} is omitted.
\end{itemize}
Here is an example constructor for the \java{Time} class:
\begin{code}
public Time() {
this.hour = 0;
this.minute = 0;
this.second = 0.0;
}
\end{code}
This constructor does not take any arguments.
Each line initializes an instance variable to zero (which is ``midnight'' for a \java{Time} object).
\index{this}
\index{keyword}
The name \java{this} is a keyword that refers to the object we are creating.
You can use \java{this} the same way you use the name of any other object.
For example, you can read and write the instance variables of \java{this}, and you can pass \java{this} as an argument to other methods.
But you do not declare \java{this}, and you can't make an assignment to it.
A common error when writing constructors is to put a \java{return} statement at the end.
Like \java{void} methods, constructors do not return values.
To create a \java{Time} object, you must use the \java{new} operator:
\begin{code}
public static void main(String[] args) {
Time time = new Time();
}
\end{code}
\index{new}
\index{operator!new}
When you use \java{new}, Java creates the object and invokes your constructor to initialize the instance variables.
When the constructor is done, \java{new} returns a reference to the new object.
In this example, the reference gets assigned to the variable \java{time}, which has type \java{Time}.
Figure~\ref{fig.time} shows the result.
\index{memory diagram}
\index{diagram!memory}
\begin{figure}[!ht]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics{figs/time.pdf}
\caption{Memory diagram of a \java{Time} object.}
\label{fig.time}
\end{center}
\end{figure}
\index{recursion!infinite}
\index{infinite recursion}
\index{StackOverflowError}
Beginners sometimes make the mistake of using \java{new} in the constructor:
\begin{code}
public Time() {
new Time(); // StackOverflowError
this.hour = 0;
this.minute = 0;
this.second = 0.0;
}
\end{code}
Doing so causes an infinite recursion, since \java{new} invokes the {\em same} constructor, which uses \java{new} again, which invokes the constructor again, and so on.
%If you don't provide a constructor for a class, Java will generate one for you automatically.
%The default constructor takes no arguments and initializes all attributes to zero (or an equivalent value like \java{false} or \java{null}).
%slr: 12-25-19
Here is a trinket implemetation of what we have so far:
% height = 130 + 11 * num_lines
\begin{trinket} [330] {Time.java}
public class Time {
//class attributes
private int hour;
private int minute;
private double second;
//default constructor
public Time() {
this.hour = 0;
this.minute = 0;
this.second = 0.0;
}
//main method
public static void main(String[] args) {
Time time = new Time();
}
}
\end{trinket}
Run the trinket and observe the result.
\textbf{Section Exercises:}
\begin{enumerate}
\item Does the above trinket \java{Time} compile successfully?
\item Does the above trinket \java{Time} run successfully? If so, what is the output?
\item Modify the the above trinket \java{Time} so as to print out object \java{time}'s \java{hour} instance variable. What do you get? Why?
\item What small change to the delaration of the class attribute \java{hour} can you make to deal with the error above? Make it and see what happens.
\end{enumerate}
%slr: end 12-25-19
\section{Value Constructors}
\index{overload}
Like other methods, constructors can be overloaded, which means you can provide multiple constructors with different parameters.
Java knows which constructor to invoke by matching the arguments you provide with the parameters of the constructor.
\index{value constructor}
\index{constructor!value}
It is common to provide both a ``default constructor'' that takes no arguments, like the previous one, and a ``value constructor'', like this one:
\begin{code}
public Time(int hour, int minute, double second) {
this.hour = hour;
this.minute = minute;
this.second = second;
}
\end{code}
To invoke this constructor, you have to provide arguments to the \java{new} operator.
The following example creates a \java{Time} object that represents a fraction of a second before noon:
\begin{code}
Time time = new Time(11, 59, 59.9);
\end{code}
Overloading constructors provides the flexibility to create an object first and then fill in the attributes, or collect all the information before creating the object itself.
Once you get the hang of it, writing constructors gets boring.
You can write them quickly just by looking at the list of instance variables.
In fact, some IDEs can generate them for you.
Here is the complete class definition so far:
%\index{Time.java}
\begin{code}
public class Time {
private int hour;
private int minute;
private double second;
public Time() {
this.hour = 0;
this.minute = 0;
this.second = 0.0;
}
public Time(int hour, int minute, double second) {
this.hour = hour;
this.minute = minute;
this.second = second;
}
}
\end{code}
Notice how the second constructor declares the parameters \java{hour}, \java{minute}, and \java{second}.
Java allows you to declare parameters (and local variables) with the same names as instance variables.
They don't have to use the same names, but it's common practice.
\index{shadowing}
The right side of \java{this.hour = hour;} refers to the parameter \java{hour}, since it was declared most recently.
This situation is called {\bf shadowing}, because the parameter ``hides'' the instance variable with the same name.
Java provides the keyword \java{this} so you can access instance variables, regardless of shadowing.
As a result, this constructor copies the values from the parameters to the instance variables.
%slr: 12-25-19
Here is a trinket implemetation of what we have now:
% height = 130 + 11 * num_lines
\begin{trinket} [430] {Time.java}
public class Time {
//class attributes
private int hour;
private int minute;
private double second;
//default constructor
public Time() {
this.hour = 0;
this.minute = 0;
this.second = 0.0;
}
//value constructor
public Time(int hour, int minute, double second) {
this.hour = hour;
this.minute = minute;
this.second = second;
}
//main method
public static void main(String[] args) {
Time time = new Time();
Time time2 = new Time(10, 30, 0);
}
}
\end{trinket}
Run the trinket and observe the result.
%slr: end 12-25-19
\section{Getters and Setters}
Recall that the instance variables of \java{Time} are \java{private}.
We can access them from within the \java{Time} class, but if we try to read or write them from another class, the compiler reports an error.
%slr: 12-25-19
This is what we have seen in the trinkets above.
%slr: end 12-25-19
\index{private}
\index{variable!private}
A class that uses objects defined in another class is called a {\bf client}.
For example, here is a new class called \java{TimeClient}.
\index{client}
\begin{code}
public class TimeClient {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Time time = new Time(11, 59, 59.9);
System.out.println(time.hour); // compiler error
}
}
\end{code}
If you compile this code, you get an error message like ``hour has private access in Time''.
There are three ways to solve this problem:
\begin{itemize}
\item We could make the instance variables public.
%slr: 12-25-19
We tried this in the section exercises.
%slr: end 12-25-19
\item We could provide methods to access the instance variables.
\item We could decide that it's not a problem, and refuse to let other classes access the instance variables.
\end{itemize}
The first choice is appealing because it's simple.
But here is the problem: when Class $A$ accesses the instance variables of Class $B$ directly, $A$ becomes dependent on $B$.
If anything in $B$ changes later, it is likely that $A$ will have to change, too.
\index{dependent}
\index{independent}
But if $A$ only uses methods to interact with $B$, $A$ and $B$ are less dependent, which means that we can make changes in $B$ without affecting $A$ (as long as we don't change the method parameters).
So we generally avoid making instance variables public.
The second option is to provide methods that access the instance variables.
For example, we might want the instance variables to be ``read only''; that is, code in other classes should be able to read them but not write them.
We can do that by providing one method for each instance variable:
\begin{code}
public int getHour() {
return this.hour;
}
public int getMinute() {
return this.minute;
}
public double getSecond() {
return this.second;
}
\end{code}
\index{accessor}
\index{method!accessor}
\index{getter}
\index{method!getter}
Methods like these are formally called ``accessors'', but more commonly referred to as {\bf getters}.
By convention, the method that gets a variable named \java{something} is called \java{getSomething}.
We can fix the compiler error in \java{TimeClient} by using the getter:
\begin{code}
System.out.println(time.getHour());
\end{code}
%slr: 12-25-19
Here is a trinket implemetation with getters, showing their use in \java{main}:
% height = 130 + 11 * num_lines
\begin{trinket} [600] {Time.java}
public class Time {
//class attributes
private int hour;
private int minute;
private double second;
//default constructor
public Time() {
this.hour = 0;
this.minute = 0;
this.second = 0.0;
}
//value constructor
public Time(int hour, int minute, double second) {
this.hour = hour;
this.minute = minute;
this.second = second;
}
//getters
public int getHour() {
return this.hour;
}
public int getMinute() {
return this.minute;
}
public double getSecond() {
return this.second;
}
//main method
public static void main(String[] args) {
Time time = new Time(11, 59, 59.9);
int hour = time.getHour();
System.out.println("time's hour instance variable has value: " + hour);
}
}
\end{trinket}
Run the trinket and observe the result.
%slr: end 12-25-19
If we decide that \java{TimeClient} should also be able to \textit{modify} the instance variables of \java{Time}, we can provide methods to do that, too:
\begin{code}
public void setHour(int hour) {
this.hour = hour;
}
public void setMinute(int minute) {
this.minute = minute;
}
public void setSecond(double second) {
this.second = second;
}
\end{code}
\index{mutator}
\index{method!mutator}
\index{setter}
\index{method!setter}
These methods are formally called ``mutators'', but more commonly known as {\bf setters}.
The naming convention is similar; the method that sets \java{something} is usually called \java{setSomething}.
Writing getters and setters can get boring, but many IDEs can generate them for you based on the instance variables.
% NOTE: A thougtful reader might ask a question we don't answer here: if we provide getters and setters, why don't we just make the instance variables public?
%slr: 12-25-19
\textbf{Section Exercises:}
\begin{enumerate}
\item Modify the the above trinket \java{Time} so as to print out object \java{time}'s \java{minute} and \java{second} instance variables in a nicely formatted way.
\item Modify the the above trinket \java{Time} adding the mutators (or setters) for each instance variable. Then modify object \java{time}'s \java{hour}, \java{minute} and \java{second} instance variables and print them out, as in exercise 1, to see the results.
\end{enumerate}
%slr: end 12-25-19
\section{Displaying Objects}
To display \java{Time} objects we can write a method to display the hour, minute, and second.
Using \java{printTime} in Section~\ref{multparam} as a starting point, we could write:
\begin{code}
public static void printTime(Time t) {
System.out.print(t.hour);
System.out.print(":");
System.out.print(t.minute);
System.out.print(":");
System.out.println(t.second);
}
\end{code}
The output of this method, given the \java{time} object from the first example, would be {\tt 11:59:59.9}.
We can use \java{printf} to make the code more concise:
\index{printf}
\index{print statement}
\index{format string}
\begin{code}
public static void printTime(Time t) {
System.out.printf("%02d:%02d:%04.1f\n",
t.hour, t.minute, t.second);
}
\end{code}
As a reminder, you need to use \java{\%d} with integers and \java{\%f} with floating-point numbers.
The \java{02} option means ``total width 2, with leading zeros if necessary'', and the \java{04.1} option means ``total width 4, one digit after the decimal point, leading zeros if necessary''.
The output is the same: {\tt 11:59:59.9}.
%slr: 12-25-19
Here is a trinket implemetation which provides the \java{printTime} method and invokes it in \java{main}:
% height = 130 + 11 * num_lines
\begin{trinket} [680] {Time.java}
public class Time {
//class attributes
private int hour;
private int minute;
private double second;
//default constructor
public Time() {
this.hour = 0;
this.minute = 0;
this.second = 0.0;
}
//value constructor
public Time(int hour, int minute, double second) {
this.hour = hour;
this.minute = minute;
this.second = second;
}
//getters
public int getHour() {
return this.hour;
}
public int getMinute() {
return this.minute;
}
public double getSecond() {
return this.second;
}
//static method for printing a nicely formatted Time ojects
public static void printTime(Time t) {
System.out.printf("%02d:%02d:%04.1f\n",
t.hour, t.minute, t.second);
}
//main method
public static void main(String[] args) {
Time time = new Time(11, 59, 59.9);
//print out time using the new method
printTime(time);
}
}
\end{trinket}
Run the trinket and observe the result.
%slr: end 12-25-19
There's nothing wrong with a method like \java{printTime}, but it is not consistent with object-oriented style.
A more idiomatic solution is to provide a special method called \java{toString}.
\section{The toString Method}
Every object has a method called \java{toString} that returns a string representation of the object.
When you display an object using \java{print} or \java{println}, Java invokes the object's \java{toString} method.
\index{override}
By default it simply displays the type of the object and its address in hexadecimal.
So, if you create a \java{Time} object and display it with \java{println}:
\begin{code}
public static void main(String[] args) {
Time time = new Time(11, 59, 59.9);
System.out.println(time);
}
\end{code}
\index{print}
\index{statement!print}
\index{object!displaying}
The output looks something like this:
\begin{stdout}
Time@80cc7c0
\end{stdout}
\index{address}
\index{hexadecimal}
This address can be useful for debugging, if you want to keep track of individual objects.
\index{toString}
\index{method!toString}
But you can {\bf override} this behavior by providing your own \java{toString} method.
For example, here is a \java{toString} method for \java{Time}:
\begin{code}
public String toString() {
return String.format("%02d:%02d:%04.1f\n",
this.hour, this.minute, this.second);
}
\end{code}
\index{instance method}
\index{method!instance}
The definition does not have the keyword \java{static}, because it is not a static method.
It is an {\bf instance method}, so called because when you invoke it, you invoke it on an instance of the class.
Instance methods are sometimes called ``non-static''; you might see this term in an error message.
The body of the method is similar to \java{printTime} in the previous section, with two changes:
\begin{itemize}
\item Inside the method, we use \java{this} to refer to the current instance; that is, the object the method is invoked on.
\item Instead of \java{printf}, it uses \java{String.format}, which returns a formatted \java{String} rather than displaying it.
\end{itemize}
\index{string!format}
Now you can call \java{toString} directly:
\begin{code}
Time time = new Time(11, 59, 59.9);
String s = time.toString();
\end{code}
The value of \java{s} is the \java{String} \java{"11:59:59.9"}.
You can also invoke \java{toString} indirectly by invoking \java{print} or \java{println}:
%slr: 12-15-19
\begin{code}
System.out.println(time);
\end{code}
%This code displays the \java{String} \java{"11:59:59.9"}.
Either way, when you use \java{this} inside \java{toString}, it refers to the same object as \java{time}.
Here is a trinket implemetation which provides the \java{toString} method and invokes it implicitly as in the code example immediately above:
% height = 130 + 11 * num_lines
\begin{trinket} [680] {Time.java}
public class Time {
//class attributes
private int hour;
private int minute;
private double second;
//default constructor
public Time() {
this.hour = 0;
this.minute = 0;
this.second = 0.0;
}
//value constructor
public Time(int hour, int minute, double second) {
this.hour = hour;
this.minute = minute;
this.second = second;
}
//getters
public int getHour() {
return this.hour;
}
public int getMinute() {
return this.minute;
}
public double getSecond() {
return this.second;
}
//toString method
public String toString() {
return String.format("%02d:%02d:%04.1f\n",
this.hour, this.minute, this.second);
}
//main method
public static void main(String[] args) {
Time time = new Time(11, 59, 59.9);
//print out time using the new method
System.out.println(time);
}
}
\end{trinket}
Run the trinket and observe the result.
%slr: end 12-25-19
\section{The equals Method}
\label{equals}
\index{== equals operator}
\index{equals}
\index{method!equals}
We have seen two ways to check whether values are equal: the \java{==} operator and the \java{equals} method.
With objects you can use either one, but they are not the same.
\index{identical}
\index{equivalent}
\begin{itemize}
\item The \java{==} operator checks whether two references are {\bf identical}; that is, whether they refer to the same object.
\item The \java{equals} method checks whether two objects are {\bf equivalent}; that is, whether they have the same values.
\end{itemize}
The definition of identity is always the same, so the \java{==} operator always does the same thing.
But the definition of equivalence is different for different objects, so objects can define their own \java{equals} methods.
Consider the following variables and the memory diagram in Figure~\ref{fig.time2}.
\begin{code}
Time time1 = new Time(9, 30, 0.0);
Time time2 = time1;
Time time3 = new Time(9, 30, 0.0);
\end{code}
\index{memory diagram}
\index{diagram!memory}
\begin{figure}[!ht]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics{figs/time2.pdf}
\caption{Memory diagram of three \java{Time} variables.}
\label{fig.time2}
\end{center}
\end{figure}
The assignment operator copies references, so \java{time1} and \java{time2} refer to the same object.
Because they are identical, \java{time1 == time2} is true.
But \java{time1} and \java{time3} refer to two different objects.
Because they are not identical, \java{time1 == time3} is false.
By default, the \java{equals} method does the same thing as \java{==}.
For \java{Time} objects, that's probably not what we want.
For example, \java{time1} and \java{time3} represent the same time of day, so we should consider them equivalent.
\index{equals}
\index{method!equals}
We can provide an \java{equals} method that implements this idea:
\begin{code}
public boolean equals(Time that) {
final DELTA = 0.001;
return this.hour == that.hour
&& this.minute == that.minute
&& Math.abs(this.second - that.second) < DELTA;
}
\end{code}
\java{equals} is an instance method, so it doesn't have the keyword \java{static}.
It uses \java{this} to refer to current object, and \java{that} to refer to the other.
\java{that} is {\em not} a keyword, so we could have given this parameter a different name.
But using \java{that} makes the code nicely readable.
We can invoke \java{equals} like this:
\begin{code}
time1.equals(time3);
\end{code}
Inside the \java{equals} method, \java{this} refers to the same object as \java{time1}, and \java{that} refers to the same object as \java{time3}.
Since their instance variables are ``equal'', the result is \java{true}.
Because \java{hour} and \java{minute} are integers, we compare them with \java{==}.
But \java{second} is a floating-point number.
Because of rounding errors, it is not good to compare floating-point numbers with \java{==} (see Section~\ref{rounderr}).
Instead, we check whether the difference is smaller than a threshold, \java{DELTA}.
%(which is short for ``epsilon'', the Greek letter used to represent a small number).
Many objects have a similar notion of equivalence; that is, two objects are considered equal if their instance variables are equal.
But other definitions are possible.
% This example is a little non-idiomatic. Can we think of something else?
%You could, for example, allow a \java{Time} object and a \java{String} object to be considered equal if they represent the same time.
%
%\begin{code}
%public boolean equals(String str) {
% return str.equals(this.toString());
%}
%\end{code}
%
%The \java{equals} method is now overloaded.
%If we invoke \java{time1.equals(time3)}, the first method will be used; \java{time1.equals("09:30:00.0")} uses the second.
%slr: 12-25-19
\textbf{Section Exercises:}
\begin{enumerate}
\item Modify the above trinket \java{Time} (with the \java{toString} method) to include an \java{equals} method as described in this section. Write statements in \java{main} to test your equals method and contrast it with the result of the \java{==} operator as shown in this section.
\end{enumerate}
%slr: end 12-25-19
\section{Adding Times}
\label{addingtime}
Suppose you are going to a movie that starts at 18:50 (that is, 6:50 PM), and the running time is 2 hours 16 minutes.
What time does the movie end?
We'll use \java{Time} objects to figure it out.
\begin{code}
Time startTime = new Time(18, 50, 0.0);
Time runningTime = new Time(2, 16, 0.0);
\end{code}
\index{Time!addition}
\index{addition!time}
Here are two ways we could ``add'' the \java{Time} objects:
\begin{itemize}
\item We could write a static method that takes two \java{Time} objects as parameters.
\item We could write an instance method that gets invoked on one object and takes the other as a parameter.
\end{itemize}
To demonstrate the difference, we'll do both.
Here is the static method:
\index{static}
\index{method!static}
\begin{code}
public static Time add(Time t1, Time t2) {
Time sum = new Time();
sum.hour = t1.hour + t2.hour;
sum.minute = t1.minute + t2.minute;
sum.second = t1.second + t2.second;
return sum;
}
\end{code}
And here's how we would invoke it:
\begin{code}
Time endTime = Time.add(startTime, runningTime);
\end{code}
Here's what it looks like as an instance method:
\index{instance method}
\index{method!instance}
\begin{code}
public Time add(Time t2) {
Time sum = new Time();
sum.hour = this.hour + t2.hour;
sum.minute = this.minute + t2.minute;
sum.second = this.second + t2.second;
return sum;
}
\end{code}
And here's how we would invoke it:
\begin{code}
Time endTime = startTime.add(runningTime);
\end{code}
Notice the differences:
\begin{itemize}
\item The static method has the keyword \java{static}; the instance method does not.
\item The static method has two parameters, \java{t1} and \java{t2}.
The instance method has one explicit parameter, \java{t1}, and the implicit parameter, \java{this}.
\item We invoked the static method with the \java{Time} class;
we invoked the instance method with the \java{startTime} object.
\end{itemize}
%Optionally, you could replace \java{t2} with \java{that}.
%Unlike \java{this}, \java{that} is not a keyword; it's just a slightly clever variable name.
That's all there is to it.
Static methods and instance methods do the same thing, and you can convert from one to the other with just a few changes.
%TODO: Say more about why you would choose one over the other?
However, there's a problem with both of these methods; they are not correct.
The result from either method is {\tt 20:66}, which is not a valid time.
If \java{second} exceeds 59, we have to ``carry'' into the minutes column, and if \java{minute} exceeds 59, we have to carry into \java{hour}.
Here is a better version of the instance method, \java{add}:
\begin{code}
public Time add(Time t2) {
Time sum = new Time();
sum.hour = this.hour + t2.hour;
sum.minute = this.minute + t2.minute;
sum.second = this.second + t2.second;
if (sum.second >= 60.0) {
sum.second -= 60.0;
sum.minute += 1;
}
if (sum.minute >= 60) {
sum.minute -= 60;
sum.hour += 1;
}
if (sum.hour >= 24) {
sum.hour -= 24
}
return sum;
}
\end{code}
If \java{hour} exceeds 23, we subtract 24 hours, but there's no
\java{days} attribute to carry into.
%slr: 12-25-19
\textbf{Section Exercises:}
\begin{enumerate}
\item Further modify the above trinket \java{Time} to which you added an \java{equals} method to now include the 'better' \java{add} \textbf{instance} method from the code example immediately above. Write statements in \java{main} to test your new \java{add} method.
\end{enumerate}
%slr: end 12-25-19
\section{Vocabulary}
\begin{description}
\term{class}
Previously, we defined a class as a collection of related methods.
Now you know that a class is also a template for a new type of object.
\term{instance}
A member of a class.
Every object is an instance of some class.
\term{instantiate}
Create a new instance of a class in the computer's memory.
%\term{data encapsulation}
%A technique for bundling multiple named variables into a single object.
\term{instance variable}
An attribute of an object; a non-static variable defined at the class level.
\term{information hiding}
The practice of making instance variables \java{private} to limit dependencies between classes.
\term{constructor}
A special method that initializes the instance variables of a newly-constructed object.
\term{shadowing}
Occurs when a local variable or parameter has the same name as an attribute.