Classes and objects in Java
Classes, fields, methods, constructors, and objects are the building blocks of object-based Java applications. This Java tutorial teaches you how to declare classes, describe attributes via fields, describe behaviors via methods, initialize objects via constructors, and instantiate objects from classes and access their members. You'll also learn about setters and getters, method overloading, and setting access levels for fields, constructors, and methods.
What you'll learn in this Java tutorial
- How to declare a class
- Using fields to describe attributes
- Using methods to describe behaviors
- Using constructors to initialize objects
- How to work with Java objects
Download the source code for example applications in this tutorial. Created by Jeff Friesen for JavaWorld.
How to declare a class
A class is a template for manufacturing objects. You declare a class by specifying the class keyword followed by a non-reserved identifier that names it. A pair of matching open and close brace characters ({ and }) follow and delimit the class's body. This syntax appears below: