Class 4: Intro to Objects, Grouping Data

Adding the Java version of a struct (technically a static inner class)

Hre's a program that is exactly like adding a struct Point in a C/C++ program.

import java.util.*;

class Ex0
{
  //-- a new type for points ---------//
  public static class Point
  {
    public double x, y;
  }
  
  //-- main! -------------------------//
  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    Scanner s = new Scanner(System.in);

    // Read point A
    Point A = new Point();
    A.x = s.nextDouble();
    A.y = s.nextDouble();

    // Read point B
    Point B = new Point();
    B.x = s.nextDouble();
    B.y = s.nextDouble();

    // Compute midpoint M
    Point M = new Point();		       
    M.x = (A.x + B.x)/2;
    M.y = (A.y + B.y)/2;

    // Print results
    System.out.print("midpoint of ");
    System.out.print("(" + A.x + "," + A.y + ")");
    System.out.print(" and ");
    System.out.print("(" + B.x + "," + B.y + ")");
    System.out.print(" is ");
    System.out.println("(" + M.x + "," + M.y + ")");
  }
}

Making functions with class-objects as parameters and return values

Let's just take our previous example, and move some of the repeated code (or potentially repeated code) into functions.

import java.util.*;

class Ex1
{

  public static class Point
  {
    public double x, y;
  }
  
  public static Point readPoint(Scanner s)
  {
    Point A = new Point();
    A.x = s.nextDouble();
    A.y = s.nextDouble();
    return A;
  }

  public static String p2str(Point A)
  {
    return "(" + A.x + "," + A.y + ")";
  }

  public static Point mid(Point A, Point B)
  {
    Point M = new Point();		       
    M.x = (A.x + B.x)/2;
    M.y = (A.y + B.y)/2;
    return M; 
  }

  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    Scanner s = new Scanner(System.in);
    Point A = readPoint(s);
    Point B = readPoint(s);
    System.out.println("midpoint of " 
		       + p2str(A) + " and " 
		       + p2str(B) + " is " 
		       + p2str(mid(A,B)));
  }

}

Splitting into multiple files

First off, remember that a java program is a class definition. So, instead of making that Point class inside of the Ex1 class, what's to stop us from simply making the outside class Point? Nothing! We get the same program doing the following:

import java.util.*;

public class Point
{
  public double x, y;

  public static Point readPoint(Scanner s)
  {
    Point A = new Point();
    A.x = s.nextDouble();
    A.y = s.nextDouble();
    return A;
  }

  public static String p2str(Point A)
  {
    return "(" + A.x + "," + A.y + ")";
  }

  public static Point mid(Point A, Point B)
  {
    Point M = new Point();		       
    M.x = (A.x + B.x)/2;
    M.y = (A.y + B.y)/2;
    return M; 
  }

  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    Scanner s = new Scanner(System.in);
    Point A = readPoint(s);
    Point B = readPoint(s);
    System.out.println("midpoint of " 
		       + p2str(A) + " and " 
		       + p2str(B) + " is " 
		       + p2str(mid(A,B)));
  }

}

This seems a little strange, perhaps. But we really gain something with this, because now, other class files can use class Point.

import java.util.*;

class Ex2
{
  public static double d(Point A, Point B)
  {
    double dx = A.x - B.x;
    double dy = A.y - B.y;
    return Math.sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy);
  }

  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    // Read 3 points
    Scanner s = new Scanner(System.in);
    Point A = Point.readPoint(s);
    Point B = Point.readPoint(s);
    Point C = Point.readPoint(s);

    // Print triangle (use delta) and perimeter
    System.out.println('\u0394' + Point.p2str(A)
		       + "," + Point.p2str(B)
		       + "," + Point.p2str(C));
    System.out.println("Perimeter is " + 
		       (d(A,B) + d(B,C) + d(C,A)));
  }
}