Can an abstract class have a constructor?

Question

Can an abstract class have a constructor?

If so, how can it be used and for what purposes?

Answer 1

Abstract class can have a constructor though it cannot be instantiated. But the constructor defined in an abstract class can be used for instantiation of concrete class of this abstract class. Check JLS:

It is a compile-time error if an attempt is made to create an instance of an abstract class using a class instance creation expression.

A subclass of an abstract class that is not itself abstract may be instantiated, resulting in the execution of a constructor for the abstract class and, therefore, the execution of the field initializers for instance variables of that class.

Answer 2

The purpose of the constructor in a class is used to initialize fields but not to "build objects". When you try to create a new instance of an abstract SuperClass, the compiler will give you an error. However, we can inherit an abstract class Employee and make use of its constructor by setting its variables See example below

public abstract class Employee {
  private String EmpName;
  abstract double calcSalary();

  Employee(String name) {
    this.EmpName = name;// constructor of abstract class super class
  }
}

class Manager extends Employee{
 Manager(String name) {
    super(name);// setting the name in the constructor of sub class
 }
double calcSalary() {
    return 0;
 }
}

Answer 3

Yes, Abstract Classes can have constructors !

Here is an example using constructor in abstract class:

abstract class Figure { 

    double dim1;        
    double dim2; 

    Figure(double a, double b) {         
        dim1 = a;         
        dim2 = b;         
    }

    // area is now an abstract method 

   abstract double area(); 

}


class Rectangle extends Figure { 
    Rectangle(double a, double b) { 
        super(a, b); 
    } 
    // override area for rectangle 
    double area() { 
        System.out.println("Inside Area for Rectangle."); 
        return dim1 * dim2; 
    } 
}

class Triangle extends Figure { 
    Triangle(double a, double b) { 
        super(a, b); 
    } 
    // override area for right triangle 
    double area() { 
        System.out.println("Inside Area for Triangle."); 
        return dim1 * dim2 / 2; 
    } 
}

class AbstractAreas { 
    public static void main(String args[]) { 
        // Figure f = new Figure(10, 10); // illegal now 
        Rectangle r = new Rectangle(9, 5); 
        Triangle t = new Triangle(10, 8); 
        Figure figref; // this is OK, no object is created 
        figref = r; 
        System.out.println("Area is " + figref.area()); 
        figref = t; 
        System.out.println("Area is " + figref.area()); 
    } 
}

So I think you got the answer.

Answer 4

yes it is. And a constructor of abstract class is called when an instance of a inherited class is created. For example, the following is a valid Java program.

// An abstract class with constructor
abstract class Base {
Base() { System.out.println("Base Constructor Called"); }
abstract void fun();
    }
class Derived extends Base {
Derived() { System.out.println("Derived Constructor Called"); }
void fun() { System.out.println("Derived fun() called"); }
    }

class Main {
public static void main(String args[]) { 
   Derived d = new Derived();
    }

}

This is the output of the above code,

Base Constructor Called Derived Constructor Called

references: enter link description here

Answer 5

Not only can it, it always does. If you do not specify one then it has a default no arg constructor, just like any other class. In fact, ALL classes, including nested and anonymous classes, will get a default constructor if one is not specified (in the case of anonymous classes it is impossible to specify one, so you will always get the default constructor).

A good example of an abstract class having a constructor is the Calendar class. You get a Calendar object by calling Calendar.getInstance(), but it also has constructors which are protected. The reason its constructors are protected is so that only its subclasses can call them (or classes in the same package, but since it's abstract, that doesn't apply). GregorianCalendar is an example of a class that extends Calendar.

Answer 6

Since an abstract class can have variables of all access modifiers, they have to be initialized to default values, so constructor is necessary. As you instantiate the child class, a constructor of an abstract class is invoked and variables are initialized.

On the contrary, an interface does contain only constant variables means they are already initialized. So interface doesn't need a constructor.