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Explore Java's static nested classes and inner classes
by?
David?Petersheim
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More from David?Petersheim
?|? Published: 8/12/05
Starting with JDK 1.1, Java provided the ability to create nested classes. A nested class is defined inside another class. There are two types of nested classes: static nested classes and inner classes.
A static nested class is declared inside another class with the static keyword or within a static context of that class. A static class has no access to instance-specific data.
An inner class is a nonstatic class declared inside another class. It has access to all of its enclosing class's instance data, including private fields and methods. Inner classes may access static data but may not declare static members unless those members are compile time constants.
Deciding which type of nested class to use depends on the data type your nested class needs to access. If you need access to instance data, you'll need an inner class. If you don't need access to instance data, a static nested class will suffice.
The most common use of inner classes is as event handlers for GUI-based applications. These classes are usually declared anonymously and as needed for each component that requires an event handler. The advantage of using an inner class for event handling is that you can avoid large If/else statements to decide which component is being handled. Each component gets its own event handler, so each event handler knows implicitly the component for which it's working.
The snippet below creates an anonymous inner class to handle the events created by an application's OK button.
Button btn = new Button("Ok");
btn.addActionListener(
????new ActionListener() {
????????public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
????????????okClicked();
????????}
????}
);
The advantage of a static nested class is that it doesn't need an instance of the containing class to work. This can help you reduce the number of objects your application creates at runtime.
The semantics for creating instances of nested classes can be confusing. Below is a simple class that defines a static nested class and an inner class. Pay special attention to the main method, where an instance of each instance class is created.
// creating an instance of the enclosing class
NestedClassTip nt = new NestedClassTip();
// creating an instance of the inner class requires
// a reference to an instance of the enclosing class
NestedClassTip.NestedOne nco = nt.new NestedOne();
// creating an instance of the static nested class
// does not require an instance of the enclosing class
NestedClassTip.NestedTwo nct = new NestedClassTip.NestedTwo();
public class NestedClassTip {
????private String name = "instance name";
????private static String staticName = "static name";
????public static void main(String args[]) {
????????NestedClassTip nt = new NestedClassTip();
????????NestedClassTip.NestedOne nco = nt.new NestedOne();
????????NestedClassTip.NestedTwo nct = new NestedClassTip.NestedTwo();
????}
????class NestedOne {
????????NestedOne() {
????????????System.out.println(name);
????????????System.out.println(staticName);
????????}
????}
????static class NestedTwo {
????????NestedTwo() {
????????????System.out.println(staticName);
????????}
????}
}
Nested classes can be confusing, but once you understand their purpose and get used to the semantics, there isn't a lot to them. If you'd like to learn more about the details of nested classes, check out the Java Language Specification.
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posted on 2006-11-03 15:42
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