Static classes and inner classes in Java

Learn how to use the four types of nested classes in your Java code

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Nested classes are classes that are declared as members of other classes or scopes. Nesting classes is one way to better organize your code. For example, say you have a non-nested class (also known as a top-level class) that stores objects in a resizable array, followed by an iterator class that returns each object. Rather than pollute the top-level class's namespace, you could declare the iterator class as a member of the resizable array collection class. This works because the two are closely related.

In Java, nested classes are categorized as either static member classes or inner classes. Inner classes are non-static member classes, local classes, or anonymous classes. In this tutorial you'll learn how to work with static member classes and the three types of inner classes in your Java code.

Static classes in Java

In my Java 101 tutorial Classes and objects in Java, you learned how to declare static fields and static methods as members of a class. In Class and object initialization in Java, you learned how to declare static initializers as members of a class. Now you'll learn how to declare static classes. Formally known as static member classes, these are nested classes that you declare at the same level as these other static entities, using the static keyword. Here's an example of a static member class declaration:

                              class C {    static int f;     static void m() {}     static    {       f = 2;    }     static class D    {       // members    } }

This example introduces top-level class C with static field f, static method m(), a static initializer, and static member class D. Notice that D is a member of C. The static field f, static method m(), and the static initializer are also members of C. Since all of these elements belong to class C, it is known as the enclosing class. Class D is known as the enclosed class.

Enclosure and access rules

Although it is enclosed, a static member class cannot access the enclosing class's instance fields and invoke its instance methods. However, it can access the enclosing class's static fields and invoke its static methods, even those members that are declared private. To demonstrate, Listing 1 declares an EnclosingClass with a nested SMClass.

Listing 1. Declaring a static member class (EnclosingClass.java, version 1)

                              class EnclosingClass {    private static String s;     private static void m1()    {       System.out.println(s);    }     static void m2()    {       SMClass.accessEnclosingClass();    }     static class SMClass    {       static void accessEnclosingClass()       {          s = "Called from SMClass's accessEnclosingClass() method";          m1();       }        void accessEnclosingClass2()       {          m2();       }    } }

Listing 1 declares a top-level class named EnclosingClass with class field s, class methods m1() and m2(), and static member class SMClass. SMClass declares class method accessEnclosingClass() and instance method accessEnclosingClass2(). Note the following:

  • m2()'s invocation of SMClass's accessEnclosingClass() method requires the SMClass. prefix because accessEnclosingClass() is declared static.
  • accessEnclosingClass() is able to access EnclosingClass's s field and call its m1() method, even though both have been declared private.

Listing 2 presents the source code to an SMCDemo application class that demonstrates how to invoke SMClass's accessEnclosingClass() method. It also demonstrates how to instantiate SMClass and invoke its accessEnclosingClass2() instance method.

Listing 2. Invoking a static member class's methods (SMCDemo.java)

                              public class SMCDemo {    public static void main(String[] args)    {       EnclosingClass.SMClass.accessEnclosingClass();       EnclosingClass.SMClass smc = new EnclosingClass.SMClass();       smc.accessEnclosingClass2();    } }

As shown in Listing 2, if you want to invoke a top-level class's method from within an enclosed class, you must prefix the enclosed class's name with the name of its enclosing class. Likewise, in order to instantiate an enclosed class you must prefix the name of that class with the name of its enclosing class. You can then invoke the instance method in the normal manner.

Compile Listings 1 and 2 as follows:

                              javac *.java

When you compile an enclosing class that contains a static member class, the compiler creates a class file for the static member class whose name consists of its enclosing class's name, a dollar-sign character, and the static member class's name. In this case, compiling results in EnclosingClass$SMCClass.class and EnclosingClass.class.

Run the application as follows:

                              java SMCDemo

You should observe the following output:

                              Called from SMClass's accessEnclosingClass() method Called from SMClass's accessEnclosingClass() method

Example: Static classes and Java 2D

Java's standard class library is a runtime library of class files, which store compiled classes and other reference types. The library includes numerous examples of static member classes, some of which are found in the Java 2D geometric shape classes located in the java.awt.geom package. (You'll learn about packages in the next Java 101 tutorial.)

The Ellipse2D class found in java.awt.geom describes an ellipse, which is defined by a framing rectangle in terms of an (x,y) upper-left corner along with width and height extents. The following code fragment shows that this class's architecture is based on Float and Double static member classes, which both subclass Ellipse2D:

                              public abstract class Ellipse2D extends RectangularShape {    public static class Float extends Ellipse2D implements Serializable    {       public float x, y, width, height;        public Float()       {       }        public Float(float x, float y, float w, float h)       {          setFrame(x, y, w, h);       }        public double getX()       {          return (double) x;       }        // additional instance methods    }     public static class Double extends Ellipse2D implements Serializable    {       public double x, y, width, height;        public Double()       {       }        public Double(double x, double y, double w, double h)       {          setFrame(x, y, w, h);       }        public double getX()       {          return x;       }        // additional instance methods    }     public boolean contains(double x, double y)    {       // ...    }     // additional instance methods shared by Float, Double, and other    // Ellipse2D subclasses }

The Float and Double classes extend Ellipse2D, providing floating-point and double precision floating-point Ellipse2D implementations. Developers use Float to reduce memory consumption, particularly because you might need thousands or more of these objects to construct a single 2D scene. We use Double when greater accuracy is required.

You cannot instantiate the abstract Ellipse2D class, but you can instantiate either Float or Double. You also can extend Ellipse2D to describe a custom shape that's based on an ellipse.

As an example, let's say you want to introduce a Circle2D class, which isn't present in the java.awt.geom package. The following code fragment shows how you would create an Ellipse2D object with a floating-point implementation:

                              Ellipse2D e2d = new Ellipse2D.Float(10.0f, 10.0f, 20.0f, 30.0f);

The next code fragment shows how you would create an Ellipse2D object with a double-precision floating-point implementation:

                              Ellipse2D e2d = new Ellipse2D.Double(10.0, 10.0, 20.0, 30.0);

You can now invoke any of the methods declared in Float or Double by invoking the method on the returned Ellipse2D reference (e.g., e2d.getX()). In the same manner, you could invoke any of the methods that are common to Float and Double, and which are declared in Ellipse2D. An example is:

                              e2d.contains(2.0, 3.0)

That completes the introduction to static member classes. Next we'll look at inner classes, which are non-static member classes, local classes, or anonymous classes. You'll learn how to work with all three inner class types.

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Download the source code for examples in this tutorial. Created by Jeff Friesen for JavaWorld.

Inner classes, type 1: Non-static member classes

You've learned previously in the Java 101 series how to declare non-static (instance) fields, methods, and constructors as members of a class. You can also declare non-static member classes, which are nested non-static classes that you declare at the same level as instance fields, methods, and constructors. Consider this example:

                              class C {    int f;     void m() {}     C()    {       f = 2;    }     class D    {       // members    } }

Here, we introduce top-level class C with instance field f, instance method m(), a constructor, and non-static member class D. All of these entities are members of class C, which encloses them. However, unlike in the previous example, these instance entities are associated with instances of C and not with the C class itself.

Each instance of the non-static member class is implicitly associated with an instance of its enclosing class. The non-static member class's instance methods can call the enclosing class's instance methods and access its instance fields. To demonstrate this access, Listing 3 declares an EnclosingClass with a nested NSMClass.

Listing 3. Declare an enclosing class with a nested non-static member class (EnclosingClass.java, version 2)

                              class EnclosingClass {    private String s;     private void m()    {       System.out.println(s);    }     class NSMClass    {       void accessEnclosingClass()       {          s = "Called from NSMClass's accessEnclosingClass() method";          m();       }    } }

Listing 3 declares a top-level class named EnclosingClass with instance field s, instance method m(), and non-static member class NSMClass. Furthermore, NSMClass declares instance method accessEnclosingClass().

Because accessEnclosingClass() is non-static, NSMClass must be instantiated before this method can be called. This instantiation must take place via an instance of EnclosingClass, as shown in Listing 4.

Listing 4. NSMCDemo.java

                              public class NSMCDemo {    public static void main(String[] args)    {       EnclosingClass ec = new EnclosingClass();       ec.new NSMClass().accessEnclosingClass();    } }

Listing 4's main() method first instantiates EnclosingClass and saves its reference in local variable ec. The main() method then uses the EnclosingClass reference as a prefix to the new operator, in order to instantiate NSMClass. The NSMClass reference is then used to call accessEnclosingClass().

Compile Listings 3 and 4 as follows:

                              javac *.java

When you compile an enclosing class that contains a non-static member class, the compiler creates a class file for the non-static member class whose name consists of its enclosing class's name, a dollar-sign character, and the non-static member class's name. In this case, compiling results in EnclosingClass$NSMCClass.class and EnclosingClass.class.

Run the application as follows:

                              java NSMCDemo

You should observe the following output:

                              Called from NSMClass's accessEnclosingClass() method

Example: Non-static member classes in HashMap

The standard class library includes non-static member classes as well as static member classes. For this example, we'll look at the HashMap class, which is part of the Java Collections Framework in the java.util package. HashMap, which describes a hash table-based implementation of a map, includes several non-static member classes.

For example, the KeySet non-static member class describes a set-based view of the keys contained in the map. The following code fragment relates the enclosed KeySet class to its HashMap enclosing class:

                              public class HashMap<K,V> extends AbstractMap<K,V>                           implements Map<K,V>, Cloneable, Serializable {    // various members     final class KeySet extends AbstractSet<K>    {       // various members    }     // various members }

The <K,V> and <K> syntaxes are examples of generics, a suite of related language features that help the compiler enforce type safety. I'll introduce generics in an upcoming Java 101 tutorial. For now, you just need to know that these syntaxes help the compiler enforce the type of key objects that can be stored in the map and in the keyset, and the type of value objects that can be stored in the map.

HashMap provides a keySet() method that instantiates KeySet when necessary and returns this instance or a cached instance. Here's the complete method: