Java: Abstraction

Abstraction can be achieved with either abstract classes or interfaces.

The abstract keyword is a non-access modifier, used for classes and methods:

• Abstract class: is a restricted class that cannot be used to create objects (to access it, it must be inherited from another class).

• Abstract method: can only be used in an abstract class, and it does not have a body. The body is provided by the subclass (inherited from).

An abstract class can have both abstract and regular methods:

abstract class Animal {
  public abstract void animalSound(); // abstract method
  public void sleep() { // regular method
    System.out.println("Zzz");
  }
}

 

Example:

// Abstract class
abstract class Animal {
  // Abstract method (does not have a body)
  public abstract void animalSound();
  // Regular method
  public void sleep() {
    System.out.println("Zzz");
  }
}

// Subclass (inherit from Animal)
class Pig extends Animal {
  public void animalSound() {
    // The body of animalSound() is provided here
    System.out.println("The pig says: wee wee");
  }
}

class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    Pig myPig = new Pig(); // Create a Pig object
    myPig.animalSound();
    myPig.sleep();
  }
}
// Outputs:
The pig says: wee wee
Zzz