Java and OOP for a Newbie

 

Delving into a new platform like Java can be intimidating and frustrating. Luckily there is access to sites like Oracle and YouTube that can help even the newest programmer navigate Java. A programmer will also need an IDE for Java, and Nextstacks list many free options, such as Eclipse. YouTube has videos that also assist with the use of this IDE. All these sites walk programmers through how to download, install, and use many different platforms.

Now, let us discuss object-oriented design principles (OOP) concepts and features. Raymandlewallen (2005) discusses the concepts of encapsulation, data abstraction, inheritance, and polymorphism. Encapsulation is the hiding of data implementation by restricting access to accessors (used to ask an object about itself) and mutators (used to modify the state of an object). Data abstraction is the creation of data objects that represent real objects. Inheritance allows for the copy functionality from another class, called a superclass or base class. Polymorphism has many different methods with the same name but somewhat different functionality.

Oracle has excellent resources on OOP and discusses them in a user-friendly way. Oracle (2015) defines the terms object, class, inheritance, interface, and package. Software objects are similar to real-world objects: they consist of state and related behavior (Oracle, 2015e). A class is a blueprint for creating individual objects (Oracle, 2015b). Object-oriented programming allows classes to inherit commonly used states and behavior from other classes (Oracle, 2015c). Methods form the object's interface with the outside world; the buttons on the front of our TV, for example, are the interface between us and the electrical wiring on the other side of its plastic casing (Oracle, 2015d). A package is a namespace that organizes related classes and interfaces, like folders on a computer (Oracle, 2015f).

Java T Point (n.d.) touches on other terms relevant to OOP, such as coupling, cohesion, association, aggregation, and composition. Coupling is the dependence on another class, and association is the relationship between the objects (One to One, One to Many, Many to One, and Many to Many). Cohesion is the level at which an element performs a task. Aggregation and composition are the relationships of one object containing another.

 

References:

Geeky Script. (2022a, March 20). How to install Eclipse IDE 2022-03 on Windows 10/11 with JDK. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7dR_9RcnY8

Geeky Script. (2022b, September 23). How to install Java 19 on Windows 10/11. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74jD-gx4XwE

Java.com. (n.d.). Download java for windows. https://www.java.com/download/ie_manual.jsp

Java T Point. (n.d.). Java OOPs concepts. http://www.javatpoint.com/java-oops-concepts

M, S. (2022, January 25). Top 5 free ideas for java development. NextStacks. https://blog.nextstacks.com/java-ides/#:~:text=JDeveloper%20Java%20IDE%20that%20is%20created%20and%20distributed,the%20full%20development%20lifecycle.%20Platforms%3A%20Windows%2C%20Linux%2C%20macOS

Oracle. (n.d.). Java downloads. https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/

Oracle. (2015a). Lesson: Object-oriented programming concepts. http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/index.html

Oracle. (2015b). What is a class?. https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/class.html

Oracle. (2015c). What is an inheritance?. https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/inheritance.html

Oracle. (2015d). What is an interface?. https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/interface.html

Oracle. (2015e). What is an object?. https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/object.html

Oracle. (2015f). What is a package?. https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/package.html

Raymondlewallen. (2005, July 19). 4 major principles of object-oriented programming. [Blog post]. World Documents. https://vdocuments.net/4-major-principles-of-object.html

Roy, D. (n.d.). Eclipse downloads. The Community for Open Innovation and Collaboration. https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/download.php?file=%2Foomph%2Fepp%2F2022-09%2FR%2Feclipse-inst-jre-win64.exe