What are some examples of abstract classes in Java?

What are some examples of abstract classes in Java?

Abstract classes in Java are classes that cannot be instantiated and can contain abstract methods. For example, you might have an abstract class called 'Animal' with an abstract method 'makeSound()'. Classes like 'Dog' and 'Cat' can extend 'Animal' and provide implementations for 'makeSound()'.

Can you give me a code example of that?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

abstract class Animal {
    abstract void makeSound();
}

class Dog extends Animal {
    void makeSound() {
        System.out.println("Bark");
    }
}

class Cat extends Animal {
    void makeSound() {
        System.out.println("Meow");
    }
}

In this code, 'Animal' is an abstract class, and 'Dog' and 'Cat' provide their own implementations of 'makeSound()'.

What is the purpose of using abstract classes?

Abstract classes allow you to define a base class with common behavior while enforcing a contract for subclasses to implement specific methods. This promotes code reusability and a clear structure in your code.

Are there any limitations to abstract classes?

Yes, abstract classes cannot be instantiated directly, and a class can only extend one abstract class (Java does not support multiple inheritance). However, they can implement multiple interfaces.