When to use an interface?

Abstract

Interface, as an object-oriented programming construct, has been one of the most difficult concepts for students to understand and apply properly. Textbooks often only address the shallow side of usefulness of interfaces, and some may even mislead as to when and how an interface should be used. This article argues that the interfaces can only be effectively taught in a context of program design. The material is appropriate to be included in a second course on programming.

References

1. Dale, N. et al. Object-Oriented data Structures Using Java, Jones and Bartlett, 2002]]
2. Farrell, J. Java Programming, 3rd Ed, Course Technology, 2006]]
3. Malin, D. S. Java, Programming -- from problem analysis to program design, 2nd Ed, Course Technology, 2006]]
4. The Java#8482; Tutorial. Retrieved 11/25/2005, from http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/java/concepts/interface.html]]
5. Shalloway, A. & Trott, J. Design Patterns Explained, Addison Wesley, 2005]]

Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

    • HCI design and evaluation methods

    • HCI theory, concepts and models

  • Interaction design

    • Interaction design theory, concepts and paradigms

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Computing education

      • Computing education programs

        • Computer science education

      • Model curricula

• Software and its engineering

  • Software notations and tools

    • General programming languages

      • Language types

        • Object oriented languages