We will learn these ways to create object later.

Objects and Classes in Java

In this page, we will learn about Java objects and classes. In object-oriented programming technique, we design a program using objects and classes.

An object in Java is the physical as well as a logical entity, whereas, a class in Java is a logical entity only.

What is an object in Java

An entity that has state and behavior is known as an object e.g., chair, bike, marker, pen, table, car, etc. It can be physical or logical (tangible and intangible). The example of an intangible object is the banking system.

An object has three characteristics:

State: represents the data (value) of an object.
Behavior: represents the behavior (functionality) of an object such as deposit, withdraw, etc.
Identity: An object identity is typically implemented via a unique ID. The value of the ID is not visible to the external user. However, it is used internally by the JVM to identify each object uniquely.

For Example, Pen is an object. Its name is Reynolds; color is white, known as its state. It is used to write, so writing is its behavior.

An object is an instance of a class. A class is a template or blueprint from which objects are created. So, an object is the instance(result) of a class.

Object Definitions:

An object is a real-world entity.
An object is a runtime entity.
The object is an entity which has state and behavior.
The object is an instance of a class.

What is a class in Java

A class is a group of objects which have common properties. It is a template or blueprint from which objects are created. It is a logical entity. It can't be physical.

A class in Java can contain:

Fields
Methods
Constructors
Blocks
Nested class and interface

Syntax to declare a class:

class <class_name>{
field;
method;
}

Instance variable in Java

A variable which is created inside the class but outside the method is known as an instance variable. Instance variable doesn't get memory at compile time. It gets memory at runtime when an object or instance is created. That is why it is known as an instance variable.

Method in Java

In Java, a method is like a function which is used to expose the behavior of an object.

Advantage of Method

Code Reusability
Code Optimization

new keyword in Java

The new keyword is used to allocate memory at runtime. All objects get memory in Heap memory area.

Object and Class Example: main within the class

In this example, we have created a Student class which has two data members id and name. We are creating the object of the Student class by new keyword and printing the object's value.

Here, we are creating a main() method inside the class.

File: Student.java

//Java Program to illustrate how to define a class and fields
//Defining a Student class.
class Student{
//defining fields
int id;//field or data member or instance variable
String name;
//creating main method inside the Student class
public static void main(String args[]){
//Creating an object or instance
Student s1=new Student();//creating an object of Student
//Printing values of the object
System.out.println(s1.id);//accessing member through reference variable
System.out.println(s1.name);
}
}

Test it Now

Output:

0 
null

Object and Class Example: main outside the class

In real time development, we create classes and use it from another class. It is a better approach than previous one. Let's see a simple example, where we are having main() method in another class.

We can have multiple classes in different Java files or single Java file. If you define multiple classes in a single Java source file, it is a good idea to save the file name with the class name which has main() method.

File: TestStudent1.java

//Java Program to demonstrate having the main method in
//another class
//Creating Student class.
class Student{
int id;
String name;
}
//Creating another class TestStudent1 which contains the main method
class TestStudent1{
public static void main(String args[]){
Student s1=new Student();
System.out.println(s1.id);
System.out.println(s1.name);
}
}