Thursday, June 1, 2023

Is it possible to have an abstract method in a final class? Example

No, it is not possible to have an abstract method in a final class in Java. A final class is a class that cannot be subclassed or extended, and an abstract method is a method that is declared in an abstract class or interface but does not have an implementation. 

These two concepts are mutually exclusive. When a class is marked as final, it indicates that the class cannot be extended. This prevents any subclass from providing implementations for abstract methods since no subclass can be created. 

The purpose of an abstract method is to provide a contract that subclasses must implement. Therefore, a final class cannot have abstract methods because there can be no subclasses to provide the required implementations. 

Here's an example to demonstrate this:


final class FinalClass {
    // This is not allowed in a final class
    abstract void abstractMethod();
}

The code above would result in a compilation error because you cannot declare an abstract method in a final class.

If you need to define an abstract method, you must declare the class as abstract to allow for subclassing and implementation of the abstract method:


abstract class AbstractClass {
    abstract void abstractMethod();
}

By marking the class as abstract, you indicate that it is designed to be subclassed, and the responsibility of providing implementations for abstract methods lies with the subclasses.

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