Java Interfaces EN

Java - Interfaces
An interface is a reference type in Java. It is similar to class. It is a collection of abstract

methods. A class implements an interface, thereby inheriting the abstract methods of the
interface.
Along with abstract methods, an interface may also contain constants, default methods, static
methods, and nested types. Method bodies exist only for default methods and static methods.
Writing an interface is similar to writing a class. But a class describes the attributes and
behaviors of an object. And an interface contains behaviors that a class implements.
Unless the class that implements the interface is abstract, all the methods of the interface need
to be defined in the class.
However, an interface is different from a class in several ways, including −
 You cannot instantiate an interface.
 An interface does not contain any constructors.
 All of the methods in an interface are abstract.
 An interface cannot contain instance fields. The only fields that can appear in
an interface must be declared both static and final.
 An interface is not extended by a class; it is implemented by a class.
 An interface can extend multiple interfaces.
Declaring Interfaces
The interface keyword is used to declare an interface. Here is a simple example to declare an
interface −
Example
Following is an example of an interface −
/* File name : NameOfInterface.java */
import java.lang.*;
// Any number of import statements
public interface NameOfInterface {

// Any number of final, static fields
// Any number of abstract method declarations\
}
Interfaces have the following properties −
 An interface is implicitly abstract. You do not need to use
the abstract keyword while declaring an interface.
 Each method in an interface is also implicitly abstract, so the abstract keyword
is not needed.
 Methods in an interface are implicitly public.
Example
/* File name : Animal.java */
interface Animal {
public void eat();
public void travel();
}
Implementing Interfaces
When a class implements an interface, you can think of the class as signing a contract,
agreeing to perform the specific behaviors of the interface. If a class does not perform all the
behaviors of the interface, the class must declare itself as abstract.
A class uses the implements keyword to implement an interface. The implements keyword
appears in the class declaration following the extends portion of the declaration.
Example
/* File name : MammalInt.java */
public class MammalInt implements Animal {
public void eat() {

System.out.println("Mammal eats");
}
public void travel() {

System.out.println("Mammal travels");
}
public int noOfLegs() {

return 0;
}
public static void main(String args[]) {

MammalInt m = new MammalInt();
m.eat();
m.travel();
}
}
This will produce the following result −
Output
Mammal eats
Mammal travels
When overriding methods defined in interfaces, there are several rules to be followed −
 Checked exceptions should not be declared on implementation methods other
than the ones declared by the interface method or subclasses of those declared
by the interface method.
 The signature of the interface method and the same return type or subtype
should be maintained when overriding the methods.
 An implementation class itself can be abstract and if so, interface methods need
not be implemented.
When implementation interfaces, there are several rules −
 A class can implement more than one interface at a time.
 A class can extend only one class, but implement many interfaces.
 An interface can extend another interface, in a similar way as a class can extend
another class.
Extending Interfaces
An interface can extend another interface in the same way that a class can extend another
class. The extends keyword is used to extend an interface, and the child interface inherits the
methods of the parent interface.
The following Sports interface is extended by Hockey and Football interfaces.
Example
// Filename: Sports.java
public interface Sports {
public void setHomeTeam(String name);
public void setVisitingTeam(String name);
}
// Filename: Football.java
public interface Football extends Sports {
public void homeTeamScored(int points);
public void visitingTeamScored(int points);
public void endOfQuarter(int quarter);
}
// Filename: Hockey.java
public interface Hockey extends Sports {
public void homeGoalScored();
public void visitingGoalScored();
public void endOfPeriod(int period);
public void overtimePeriod(int ot);
}
The Hockey interface has four methods, but it inherits two from Sports; thus, a class that
implements Hockey needs to implement all six methods. Similarly, a class that implements
Football needs to define the three methods from Football and the two methods from Sports.
Extending Multiple Interfaces

A Java class can only extend one parent class. Multiple inheritance is not allowed. Interfaces
are not classes, however, and an interface can extend more than one parent interface.
The extends keyword is used once, and the parent interfaces are declared in a comma-
separated list.
For example, if the Hockey interface extended both Sports and Event, it would be declared as
−
Example
public interface Hockey extends Sports, Event

Java Interfaces EN

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Java Interfaces EN

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Java - Interfaces

An interface is a reference type in Java. It is similar to class. It is a collection of abstract

public interface NameOfInterface {

public void eat() {

public void travel() {

public int noOfLegs() {

public static void main(String args[]) {

Extending Multiple Interfaces

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