The main difference between namespace and package is that namespace is available in C# (.NET) to organize the classes so that it is easier to handle the application, while package is available in Java and groups similar type of classes and interfaces to improve code maintainability.
Generally, a computer program is a set of instructions that instruct the CPU to perform a specific task. A programmer can write a program using a programming language. One such programing language type is a high-level programming language. It is easier for a programmer to read and understand the syntax of high-level programming languages. Two such programming languages are Java and C#. Of these, Java has a concept called packages while C# has a concept called namespace.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Namespace
-Definition, Functionality
2. What is Package
-Definition, Functionality
3. Difference Between Namespace and Package
-Comparison of key differences
Key Terms
C#, Java, Namespace, Package
What is Namespace
Namespace in C# helps to organize classes. Therefore, namespaces help to manage the application. In a simple C# program, the programmer uses the statement System.Console. It describes that the namespace is System and the class is Console.
Besides, to access the class of a namespace, the programmer should write this syntax, namespace_name.classname. However, the programmer can avoid writing the entire name each time by “using” keyword.
Figure 1: C# program with namespace
In the above program, the namespace is ConsoleApplication1. It has a class and the main program is inside that class. Therefore, it will print the message on the console. Here, the “using statement” is used instead of writing the complete name to access a namespace.
Furthermore, global namespace is a root namespace. Moreover, global::System will always refer to the “System” namespace in the .NET framework.
What is Package
Package in Java is a set of similar classes and interfaces. Packages help to organize the classes and interfaces. Therefore, it improves maintainability. It also prevents naming collisions and provides access protection.
There are two types of packages; lang, awt, swing, io, and sql are some built-in packages available in Java. Programmer can use those classes in these packages on his program. Moreover, he can create his own packages. Those are user-defined packages.
Figure 2: Java program with class P
Figure 3: Java program with class Q
According to the above program, there is a package ‘a’ and a class P. The class has a method called msg. Q is another class. It has the main method. Inside the method, there is an object of P and msg method of Q is called inside main. It displays the “Hello World” on the console.
As msg method is inside class P and the class is in package a, to access the msg method, class Q has to import package a. If there is no import statement, it is not possible to access the msg method.
Difference Between Namespace and Package
Definition
A namespace is a logical division of classes in the .NET framework, while the package is an organized set of related classes and interfaces. Hence, this explains the main Namespace is a logical division of classes in the .NET framework, while the package is an organized set of related classes and interfaces.
Usage
Furthermore, the namespace is used to organize programs, both as an “internal” organization system for a program and as an “external” organization system. But, the package is used to organize files or public types to avoid type conflicts. Thus, this is another difference between namespace and package.
Conclusion
Namespace and package are two concepts available in programming. The main difference between namespace and package is that namespace is available in C# to organize the classes so that it is easier to handle the application while package, which is available in Java, group similar type of classes and interfaces to improve code maintainability. In brief, they both are similar but they belong to different languages.
References:
1.“Java Package – Javatpoint.” Www.javatpoint.com, Available here.
2.“C# Namespaces – Javatpoint.” Www.javatpoint.com, Available here.
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