Java Enumerations: Attaching Methods to Enumerations

Simond Gear 1743 26-May-2016

Suppose we want to convert a user-specified weight in pounds to a different unit of measure, such as kilograms, carats, or ounces.

· To convert pounds into kilograms, for example, we would multiply the given value by the constant 0.45359237.

· To convert pounds into carats, we would multiply the given value by the constant 2267.96185.

Thus, we could be tempted to declare the following type of enumeration:

enum Converter {                             

                     0.45359237, 2267.96185, 453.59237, 16, ..., ...

}

Now, we will need to remember that:

· the first conversion factor converts the given pounds into kilograms

· the second converts it into carats,

· the third converts it into grams

· and so on….

In the future, if we change this order or insert one more conversion factor between two existing ones, we cannot be assured that the conversions performed in the client application will be accurate for all measurement units. We can easily overcome this problem by using the class features of the enum declaration. For each constant, we define a conversion method. To understand how this is done, refer to the complete conversion utility given here:

public class UnitsConverter {

                     private static double numberToConvert = 0;

                     public static void main(String[] args) {
                            if (args.length == 0) {
                             System.out.println("Usage: java UnitsConverter <weight in pounds>");

                                     System.exit(0);
                              }
                             numberToConvert = Double.parseDouble(args[0]);
                             System.out.println("lbs " + args[0] + " equals:\n");
                             for (Converter conv : Converter.values()) {
                                      System.out.printf("%s: %f%n", conv,
                                                                     conv.performConversion(numberToConvert)); 
                             } 
                     } 
} 
enum Converter {
                     KG("KG") {
                             double performConversion(double f) {
                                      return f *= 0.45359237; 
                             } 
                     }, 
                     CARAT("carat") { 
                             double performConversion(double f) {
                                      return f *= 2267.96185; 
                             } 
                     }, 
                     GMS("gms") { 
                             double performConversion(double f) {
                                      return f *= 453.59237; 
                             } 
                     }, 
                     OUNCE("ounce") { 
                             double performConversion(double f) { 
                                      return f *= 16; 
                             } 
                     }, 
                     STONE("stone") { 
                             double performConversion(double f) {
                                      return f *= 0.071428571429; 
                             } 
                     }; 
                     private final String symbol; 
                     Converter(String symbol) {
                             this.symbol = symbol; 
                     } 
                     @Override
                     public String toString() { 
                             return symbol; 
                     } 
                     abstract double performConversion(double f); 

}

In this code, we declare an enumeration called Converter. We also define an abstract method called performConversion, as follows:

abstract double performConversion(double f);

Each constant defined in the Converter will now have to implement this method. Look at the KG declaration, shown here:

KG("KG") {
                double performConversion(double f) {
                 return f *= 0.45359237;
                } 

},

The declaration implements the performConversion method, which multiplies the input number by a predefined constant. This constant value is the same as the one specified earlier to convert pounds into kilograms. The name of the constant is KG. Its instance is created by calling the constructor as follows:

KG ("KG")

The constructor takes a string argument that will be used in printing the name or the description of the respective constant. For this, we define a private constructor, as in the earlier case, that copies the input parameter into an instance variable. We also override the toString method, as in the earlier case, to return the appropriate name to the caller.

Likewise, we add the definitions of other conversions such as CARAT, GMS, OUNCE, and so on. In the main function, we simply iterate through all the elements of this Converter enumeration to print the conversions of a given value to different units. Typical program output is shown here:

lbs 5.0 equals:
KG: 2.267962
carat: 11339.809250
gms: 2267.961850
ounce: 80.000000
stone: 0.357143

In the future, if we want to add more conversion units, we can do so easily by adding a new constant definition anywhere we want. For example, to add a troy ounce conversion after the ounce conversion, we add the following constant declaration between the ounce and stone declarations:

TROYOUNCE("troy ounce") {
               double performConversion(double f) {
                                    return f *= 14.583333333;
                 } 

},

When we run the client program after this new addition is done, in the output we will see the given pounds converted into troy ounce.

Whenever we add a new constant in the Converter enumeration, we need to provide the implementation of the performConversion method because this method has been declared an abstract method in the Converter enumeration. This makes the enumeration definition foolproof.

java

Updated 18-Dec-2017

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Java Enumerations: Attaching Methods to Enumerations

Now, we will need to remember that:

Simond Gear

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