Classes vs Objects

Part of the Object Oriented Programming section of Coddy's Java journey — lesson 3 of 87.

A class is a blueprint that defines structure. An object is a specific instance created from that blueprint.

The class (blueprint)

public class Car {
    String brand;
    int year;
    
    public Car(String brand, int year) {
        this.brand = brand;
        this.year = year;
    }
    
    public String getInfo() {
        return this.brand + " (" + this.year + ")";
    }
}

Creating objects (instances)

Car car1 = new Car("Tesla", 2023);
Car car2 = new Car("Honda", 2020);

System.out.println(car1.getInfo());  // Tesla (2023)
System.out.println(car2.getInfo());  // Honda (2020)

Each object is independent. Changing car1 does not affect car2. You can create unlimited objects from the same class, each with its own data.

Challenge

Medium

Create a Car class (the blueprint) and the program will create two different objects (instances) from it:

Fields: brand (String) and year (int)
A constructor that sets both fields
A getInfo() method returning "<brand> (<year>)"

Cheat sheet

A class is a blueprint that defines structure. An object is a specific instance created from that blueprint.

Defining a class:

public class Car {
    String brand;
    int year;
    
    public Car(String brand, int year) {
        this.brand = brand;
        this.year = year;
    }
    
    public String getInfo() {
        return this.brand + " (" + this.year + ")";
    }
}

Creating objects from a class:

Car car1 = new Car("Tesla", 2023);
Car car2 = new Car("Honda", 2020);

System.out.println(car1.getInfo());  // Tesla (2023)
System.out.println(car2.getInfo());  // Honda (2020)

Each object is independent with its own data. You can create unlimited objects from the same class.

Try it yourself

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
        
        String brand1 = scanner.nextLine();
        int year1 = Integer.parseInt(scanner.nextLine());
        String brand2 = scanner.nextLine();
        int year2 = Integer.parseInt(scanner.nextLine());
        
        Car car1 = new Car(brand1, year1);
        Car car2 = new Car(brand2, year2);
        
        System.out.println("Car 1: " + car1.getInfo());
        System.out.println("Car 2: " + car2.getInfo());
        System.out.println("Same car? " + (car1 == car2));
    }
}