Difference between Inheritance and Composition

Question

Are Composition and Inheritance the same? If I want to implement the composition pattern, how can I do that in Java?

Answer 1

Are Composition and Inheritance the same?

They are not same.

Composition : It enables a group of objects have to be treated in the same way as a single instance of an object. The intent of a composite is to "compose" objects into tree structures to represent part-whole hierarchies

Inheritance: A class inherits fields and methods from all its superclasses, whether direct or indirect. A subclass can override methods that it inherits, or it can hide fields or methods that it inherits.

If I want to implement the composition pattern, how can I do that in Java?

Wikipedia article is good enough to implement composite pattern in java.

Key Participants:

Component:

1. Is the abstraction for all components, including composite ones
2. Declares the interface for objects in the composition

Leaf:

1. Represents leaf objects in the composition
2. Implements all Component methods

Composite:

1. Represents a composite Component (component having children)
2. Implements methods to manipulate children
3. Implements all Component methods, generally by delegating them to its children

Code example to understand Composite pattern:

import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;

interface Part{
    public double getPrice();
    public String getName();
}
class Engine implements Part{
    String name;
    double price;
    public Engine(String name,double price){
        this.name = name;
        this.price = price;
    }
    public double getPrice(){
        return price;
    }
    public String getName(){
        return name;
    }
}
class Trunk implements Part{
    String name;
    double price;
    public Trunk(String name,double price){
        this.name = name;
        this.price = price;
    }
    public double getPrice(){
        return price;
    }
    public String getName(){
        return name;
    }
}
class Body implements Part{
    String name;
    double price;
    public Body(String name,double price){
        this.name = name;
        this.price = price;
    }
    public double getPrice(){
        return price;
    }
    public String getName(){
        return name;
    }
}
class Car implements Part{
    List parts;
    String name;

    public Car(String name){
        this.name = name;
        parts = new ArrayList();
    }
    public void addPart(Part part){
        parts.add(part);
    }
    public String getName(){
        return name;
    }
    public String getPartNames(){
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        for ( Part part: parts){
            sb.append(part.getName()).append(" ");
        }
        return sb.toString();
    }
    public double getPrice(){
        double price = 0;
        for ( Part part: parts){
            price += part.getPrice();
        }
        return price;
    }   
}

public class CompositeDemo{
    public static void main(String args[]){
        Part engine = new Engine("DiselEngine",15000);
        Part trunk = new Trunk("Trunk",10000);
        Part body = new Body("Body",12000);

        Car car = new Car("Innova");
        car.addPart(engine);
        car.addPart(trunk);
        car.addPart(body);

        double price = car.getPrice();

        System.out.println("Car name:"+car.getName());
        System.out.println("Car parts:"+car.getPartNames());
        System.out.println("Car price:"+car.getPrice());
    }

}

output:

Car name:Innova
Car parts:DiselEngine Trunk Body
Car price:37000.0

Explanation:

1. Part is a leaf
2. Car contains many Parts
3. Different Parts of the car have been added to Car
4. The price of Car = sum of ( Price of each Part )

Refer to below question for Pros and Cons of Composition and Inheritance.

Prefer composition over inheritance?