What is difference between abstract class with all abstract methods and interface(not technically)

Question

I've been wondering what is the difference between them? Is it only in this: abstract class declares what an object is and interface says what object can do ? Or there is something more deeper? Thanks.

Answer 1

它是否可以具有字段，是否可以具有构造函数，这些方法中的任何一种是否可以被保护/ package-private / private，子类型是否可以从其他抽象类/接口继承...对此进行了介绍。

Answer 2

In Java, there are no pure abstract classes. A class that declares only abstract methods has concrete methods also, because it is a subclass -- directly or indirectly -- of the concrete Object class.

An interface is a better choice for defining an abstract API. Java allows classes to extend at most one class, but implement multiple interfaces.

From the Java tutorial Abstract Methods and Classes (line breaks added):

However, with abstract classes, you can declare fields that are not static and final, and define public, protected, and private concrete methods.

With interfaces, all fields are automatically public, static, and final, and all methods that you declare or define (as default methods) are public.

In addition, you can extend only one class, whether or not it is abstract, whereas you can implement any number of interfaces.

The tutorial also recommends cases when an abstract class or interface are desirable. Paraphrased, it recommends abstract classes when you want to share code or non-static, non-final fields, or use access qualifiers other than public. Usually none of these will apply to a pure abstract class.

It recommends interfaces when you want to specify an API that may be implemented by multiple unrelated classes, or want to take advantage of multiple inheritance of interface types.

Answer 3

The statement "abstract class declares what an object is" refers to the rule that says that a class may inherit from a base class if it has an "is a" relationship to the base class. So, a Sedan may inherit from Car because a Sedan "is a" Car . But that's only part of the story. Usually, we define abstract base classes to inherit from when we want the abstract base class to contain some functionality that restricts derived classes in what they can do, often by exposing final methods which cannot be overridden. So, a hypothetical mail delivery abstract base class may offer a public final prepareAndSend() method which invokes abstract overridables on itself called stuffEnvelope() , lickEnvelope() , mailEnvelope() , in that order. The derived class may override those methods, but it has no power to change the order in which they will be invoked because prepareAndSend() is final. You can't impose such restrictions with interfaces.

Interfaces, on the other hand, describe "capabilities" or "aspects" that an object may have. An object may have many different capabilities, so it may implement many interfaces.

Note that it may seem that the "is a" relationship can apply to interfaces, but it either only happens in certain contrived examples, or it is an illusion caused by the liberal syntax of the English language; it is not generalizable, in many cases it is not even factual, and that's the reason why there is no rule that says that an object should have an "is a" relationship with each interface that it implements.

So, someone may of course make an "ICar" interface, there is nothing wrong with that, in which case there will inevitably be something that "is a Car", but what you are more likely to see is interfaces like "IDrivable", "IInsurable", "ITaxable", "IFuelConsumer", etc. all of which describe traits. The fact that you can then say "a car is a taxable" is a fluke of the English language; a car does not actually bear an "is a" relationship with "taxable" because "taxable" is not even a thing. So then, whoever came up with that "ICar" usually just meant it as a convenience to combine all the characteristics of a car into one common interface.