Explain nested classes (or outer and inner classes) in java?, JAVA Programming

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In Java not all classes must be described separate from each other. You may put the definition of one class under the definition of another class. The class inside class is called an inner class and the enclosing class is called an outer class. So when you prepare an inner class, it is a member of the outer class in much the similar way as other members like attributes, constructors and methods.

 

Where should we need inner classes? Code without inner classes is hard to maintainable and readable. When you use private data members of the outer class, the JDK compiler provides package-access member functions in the outer class for the inner class to use the private members. That leaves a security hole. We could avoid it using inner classes. Use inner class only when an inner class is only in the context of the outer class and/or inner class may be prepared private so that only outer class can access it. Inner classes are needed primarily to implement helper classes like Comparators, Iterators etc which are needed in the context of an outer class.

 

Member inner class

Anonymous inner class

public class MyStack {

private Object[] items = null;

...

public Iterator iterator() {

return new StackIterator();

}

//inner class

class StackIterator implements Iterator{

...

public boolean hasNext(){...}

}

}

public class MyStack {

private Object[] items = null;

...

public Iterator iterator() {

return new Iterator {

...

public boolean hasNext() {...}

}

}

}

 

Class Type

Description

Example +

Class name

 

Outer

class

Package

member class or interface

Top level class. Only type JVM

can access.

//package scope

class Outside{}

 

Outside.class

Inner

class

static nested

class or interface

Defined within the context of the

top-level class. Must be static & can access static members of its having class. No relationship between the instances of outside and Inside classes.

//package scope

class Outside {

static class Inside{       }

}

 

Outside.class ,Outside$Inside.class

Inner

class

Member class

Defined within the context of

outer class, but non-static. Until an object of Outside class has

been started you can't create

Inside.

class Outside{

class Inside(){}

}

 

Outside.class , Outside$Inside.class

Inner

class

Local class

Defined within a part of code.

Can use final local variables and final method parameters. Only

visible within the part of code that defines it.

class Outside {

void first() {

final int i = 5;

class Inside{}

}

}

 

Outside.class , Outside$1$Inside.class

Inner

class

Anonymous

class

Just like local class, but no

name is used. Useful when only one instance is used in a

method. Most naturally used in

AWT/SWING event model, Spring framework hibernate call

back methods etc.

//AWT example

class Outside{

void first() {

button.addActionListener ( new ActionListener()

{

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) { System.out.println("The button was  pressed!");

}

});

}

}

 

Outside.class , Outside$1.class

 

 


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