What is the difference between an interface and ab

Question

What exactly is the difference between an interface and abstract class?

Answer 1

The comparison of interface vs. abstract class is wrong. There should be two other comparisons instead: 1) interface vs. class and 2) abstract vs. final class.

Interface vs Class

Interface is a contract between two objects. E.g., I'm a Postman and you're a Package to deliver. I expect you to know your delivery address. When someone gives me a Package, it has to know its delivery address:

interface Package {
  String address();
}

Class is a group of objects that obey the contract. E.g., I'm a box from "Box" group and I obey the contract required by the Postman. At the same time I obey other contracts:

class Box implements Package, Property {
  @Override
  String address() {
    return "5th Street, New York, NY";
  }
  @Override
  Human owner() {
    // this method is part of another contract
  }
}

Abstract vs Final

Abstract class is a group of incomplete objects. They can't be used, because they miss some parts. E.g., I'm an abstract GPS-aware box - I know how to check my position on the map:

abstract class GpsBox implements Package {
  @Override
  public abstract String address();
  protected Coordinates whereAmI() {
    // connect to GPS and return my current position
  }
}

This class, if inherited/extended by another class, can be very useful. But by itself - it is useless, since it can't have objects. Abstract classes can be building elements of final classes.

Final class is a group of complete objects, which can be used, but can't be modified. They know exactly how to work and what to do. E.g., I'm a Box that always goes to the address specified during its construction:

final class DirectBox implements Package {
  private final String to;
  public DirectBox(String addr) {
    this.to = addr;
  }
  @Override
  public String address() {
    return this.to;
  }
}

In most languages, like Java or C++, it is possible to have just a class, neither abstract nor final. Such a class can be inherited and can be instantiated. I don't think this is strictly in line with object-oriented paradigm, though.

Again, comparing interfaces with abstract classes is not correct.

Answer 2

An explanation can be found here: http://www.developer.com/lang/php/article.php/3604111/PHP-5-OOP-Interfaces-Abstract-Classes-and-the-Adapter-Pattern.htm

An abstract class is a class that is only partially implemented by the programmer. It may contain one or more abstract methods. An abstract method is simply a function definition that serves to tell the programmer that the method must be implemented in a child class.

An interface is similar to an abstract class; indeed interfaces occupy the same namespace as classes and abstract classes. For that reason, you cannot define an interface with the same name as a class. An interface is a fully abstract class; none of its methods are implemented and instead of a class sub-classing from it, it is said to implement that interface.

Anyway I find this explanation of interfaces somewhat confusing. A more common definition is: An interface defines a contract that implementing classes must fulfill. An interface definition consists of signatures of public members, without any implementing code.

Answer 3

Interface: Turn ( Turn Left, Turn Right.)

Abstract Class: Wheel.

Class: Steering Wheel, derives from Wheel, exposes Interface Turn

One is for categorizing behavior that can be offered across a diverse range of things, the other is for modelling an ontology of things.

Answer 4

Differences between abstract class and interface on behalf of real implementation.

Interface: It is a keyword and it is used to define the template or blue print of an object and it forces all the sub classes would follow the same prototype,as for as implementation, all the sub classes are free to implement the functionality as per it's requirement.

Some of other use cases where we should use interface.

Communication between two external objects(Third party integration in our application) done through Interface here Interface works as Contract.

Abstract Class: Abstract,it is a keyword and when we use this keyword before any class then it becomes abstract class.It is mainly used when we need to define the template as well as some default functionality of an object that is followed by all the sub classes and this way it removes the redundant code and one more use cases where we can use abstract class, such as we want no other classes can directly instantiate an object of the class, only derived classes can use the functionality.

Example of Abstract Class:

 public abstract class DesireCar
  {

 //It is an abstract method that defines the prototype.
     public abstract void Color();

  // It is a default implementation of a Wheel method as all the desire cars have the same no. of wheels.   
 // and hence no need to define this in all the sub classes in this way it saves the code duplicasy     

  public void Wheel() {          

               Console.WriteLine("Car has four wheel");
                }
           }


    **Here is the sub classes:**

     public class DesireCar1 : DesireCar
        {
            public override void Color()
            {
                Console.WriteLine("This is a red color Desire car");
            }
        }

        public class DesireCar2 : DesireCar
        {
            public override void Color()
            {
                Console.WriteLine("This is a red white Desire car");
            }
        }

Example Of Interface:

  public interface IShape
        {
          // Defines the prototype(template) 
            void Draw();
        }


  // All the sub classes follow the same template but implementation can be different.

    public class Circle : IShape
    {
        public void Draw()
        {
            Console.WriteLine("This is a Circle");
        }
    }

    public class Rectangle : IShape
    {
        public void Draw()
        {
            Console.WriteLine("This is a Rectangle");
        }
    }

Answer 5

In an interface all methods must be only definitions, not single one should be implemented.

But in an abstract class there must an abstract method with only definition, but other methods can be also in the abstract class with implementation...

Answer 6

The shortest way to sum it up is that an interface is:

1. Fully abstract, apart from default and static methods; while it has definitions (method signatures + implementations) for default and static methods, it only has declarations (method signatures) for other methods.
2. Subject to laxer rules than classes (a class can implement multiple interfaces, and an interface can inherit from multiple interfaces). All variables are implicitly constant, whether specified as public static final or not. All members are implicitly public, whether specified as such or not.
3. Generally used as a guarantee that the implementing class will have the specified features and/or be compatible with any other class which implements the same interface.

Meanwhile, an abstract class is:

1. Anywhere from fully abstract to fully implemented, with a tendency to have one or more abstract methods. Can contain both declarations and definitions, with declarations marked as abstract.
2. A full-fledged class, and subject to the rules that govern other classes (can only inherit from one class), on the condition that it cannot be instantiated (because there's no guarantee that it's fully implemented). Can have non-constant member variables. Can implement member access control, restricting members as protected, private, or private package (unspecified).
3. Generally used either to provide as much of the implementation as can be shared by multiple subclasses, or to provide as much of the implementation as the programmer is able to supply.

Or, if we want to boil it all down to a single sentence: An interface is what the implementing class has, but an abstract class is what the subclass is.