Types of Constructors in Java: Default and Parameterized

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Question :

How many types of constructors are used in Java? Can you explain in detail?

Réponse :

In Java, constructors are special methods used to initialize objects. There are primarily two types of constructors in Java:

  1. Default Constructor
  2. Parameterized Constructor

1. Default Constructor

A default constructor is a constructor that does not take any parameters. If no constructor is explicitly defined in a class, the Java compiler automatically provides a default constructor that initializes the object with default values (e.g., 0 for integers, null for objects, false for booleans).

Example:

class Dog {
    String name;
    int age;

    // Default constructor
    Dog() {
        name = "Unknown";
        age = 0;
    }
}

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Dog dog = new Dog(); // Calls the default constructor
        System.out.println("Dog Name: " + dog.name + ", Age: " + dog.age);
    }
}

In this example, the Dog class has a default constructor that initializes the name to "Unknown" and age to 0.

2. Parameterized Constructor

A parameterized constructor is a constructor that takes parameters to initialize an object with specific values. This allows for more flexibility when creating objects, as you can pass different values to the constructor.

Example:

class Dog {
    String name;
    int age;

    // Parameterized constructor
    Dog(String name, int age) {
        this.name = name;
        this.age = age;
    }
}

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Dog dog1 = new Dog("Buddy", 3); // Calls the parameterized constructor
        Dog dog2 = new Dog("Max", 5);    // Calls the parameterized constructor
        System.out.println("Dog1 Name: " + dog1.name + ", Age: " + dog1.age);
        System.out.println("Dog2 Name: " + dog2.name + ", Age: " + dog2.age);
    }
}

In this example, the Dog class has a parameterized constructor that takes name and age as parameters. When creating a new Dog object, you can specify the values for these attributes.

Additional Notes

  • Constructor Overloading: You can have multiple constructors in a class with different parameter lists. This is known as constructor overloading. It allows you to create objects in different ways.

Example of Constructor Overloading:

class Dog {
    String name;
    int age;

    // Default constructor
    Dog() {
        name = "Unknown";
        age = 0;
    }

    // Parameterized constructor
    Dog(String name, int age) {
        this.name = name;
        this.age = age;
    }
}

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Dog dog1 = new Dog(); // Calls the default constructor
        Dog dog2 = new Dog("Buddy", 3); // Calls the parameterized constructor
    }
}
  • No Return Type: Constructors do not have a return type, not even void.
  • Constructor Chaining: You can call one constructor from another constructor in the same class using this(). This is known as constructor chaining.

Example of Constructor Chaining:

class Dog {
    String name;
    int age;

    // Default constructor
    Dog() {
        this("Unknown", 0); // Calls the parameterized constructor
    }

    // Parameterized constructor
    Dog(String name, int age) {
        this.name = name;
        this.age = age;
    }
}

In summary, Java primarily uses two types of constructors: default constructors and parameterized constructors, with the possibility of overloading and chaining them for more complex initialization scenarios.