Class

             The class is at the core of Java. It is the logical construct upon which the entire Java language is built because it defines the shape and nature of an object. As such, the class forms the basis for object-oriented programming in Java. Any concept you wish to implement in a Java program must be encapsulated within a class. Because the class is so fundamental to Java.
           A class is a template for an object, and an object is an instance of a class.

The General Form of a Class

       When you define a class, you declare its exact form and nature. You do this by specifying
the data that it contains and the code that operates on that data. While very simple classes may contain only code or only data, most real-world classes contain both. As you will see, a class’ code defines the interface to its data.
          A class is declared by use of the class keyword. The classes that have been used up
to this point are actually very limited examples of its complete form. Classes can (and
usually do) get much more complex. The general form of a class definition is shown here:

class classname {
type instance-variable1;
type instance-variable2;
// ...
type instance-variableN;
type methodname1(parameter-list) {
// body of method
}
type methodname2(parameter-list) {
// body of method

}
// ...
type methodnameN(parameter-list) {
// body of method
}
}

         The data, or variables, defined within a class are called instance variables. The code is contained within methods. Collectively, the methods and variables defined within a class are called members of the class. In most classes, the instance variables are acted upon and accessed by the methods defined for that class. Thus, it is the methods that determine how a class’ data can be used.
     
        Variables defined within a class are called instance variables because each instance of the class (that is, each object of the class) contains its own copy of these variables. Thus, the data for one object is separate and unique from the data for another.

All methods have the same general form as main( ), which we have been using thus far. However, most methods will not be specified as static or public. Notice that the general form of a class does not specify a main( ) method. Java classes do not need to have a main( ) method. You only specify one if that class is the starting point for your program. Further, applets don’t require a main( ) method at all.