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Java Method Overriding

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15 views

Java Method Overriding

Uploaded by

Ven Dicator
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Java Method Overriding

In this tutorial, we will learn about method overriding in Java with the help of
examples.

In the last tutorial, we learned about inheritance. Inheritance is an OOP


property that allows us to derive a new class (subclass) from an existing class
(superclass). The subclass inherits the attributes and methods of the
superclass.

Now, if the same method is defined in both the superclass and the subclass,
then the method of the subclass class overrides the method of the superclass.
This is known as method overriding.

Example 1: Method Overriding


class Animal {
public void displayInfo() {
System.out.println("I am an animal.");
}
}

class Dog extends Animal {


@Override
public void displayInfo() {
System.out.println("I am a dog.");
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Dog d1 = new Dog();
d1.displayInfo();
}
}
Run Code

Output:

I am a dog.

In the above program, the displayInfo() method is present in both


the Animal superclass and the Dog subclass.
When we call displayInfo() using the d1 object (object of the subclass), the
method inside the subclass Dog is called. The displayInfo() method of the
subclass overrides the same method of the superclass.

Notice the use of the @Override annotation in our example. In Java, annotations
are the metadata that we used to provide information to the compiler. Here,
the @Override annotation specifies the compiler that the method after this
annotation overrides the method of the superclass.
It is not mandatory to use @Override . However, when we use this, the method
should follow all the rules of overriding. Otherwise, the compiler will generate
an error.
Java Overriding Rules
 Both the superclass and the subclass must have the same method
name, the same return type and the same parameter list.

 We cannot override the method declared as final and static .

 We should always override abstract methods of the superclass (will be


discussed in later tutorials).

super Keyword in Java Overriding


A common question that arises while performing overriding in Java is:

Can we access the method of the superclass after overriding?


Well, the answer is Yes. To access the method of the superclass from the
subclass, we use the super keyword.
Example 2: Use of super Keyword
class Animal {
public void displayInfo() {
System.out.println("I am an animal.");
}
}

class Dog extends Animal {


public void displayInfo() {
super.displayInfo();
System.out.println("I am a dog.");
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Dog d1 = new Dog();
d1.displayInfo();
}
}
Run Code

Output:

I am an animal.
I am a dog.

In the above example, the subclass Dog overrides the method displayInfo() of
the superclass Animal .

When we call the method displayInfo() using the d1 object of the Dog subclass,
the method inside the Dog subclass is called; the method inside the superclass
is not called.
Inside displayInfo() of the Dog subclass, we have used super.displayInfo() to
call displayInfo() of the superclass.

It is important to note that constructors in Java are not inherited. Hence, there
is no such thing as constructor overriding in Java.

However, we can call the constructor of the superclass from its subclasses.
For that, we use super() . To learn more, visit Java super keyword.
Access Specifiers in Method Overriding
The same method declared in the superclass and its subclasses can have
different access specifiers. However, there is a restriction.

We can only use those access specifiers in subclasses that provide larger
access than the access specifier of the superclass. For example,

Suppose, a method myClass() in the superclass is declared protected . Then, the


same method myClass() in the subclass can be either public or protected , but
not private .

Example 3: Access Specifier in Overriding


class Animal {
protected void displayInfo() {
System.out.println("I am an animal.");
}
}

class Dog extends Animal {


public void displayInfo() {
System.out.println("I am a dog.");
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Dog d1 = new Dog();
d1.displayInfo();
}
}
Run Code

Output:

I am a dog.

In the above example, the subclass Dog overrides the method displayInfo() of
the superclass Animal .
Whenever we call displayInfo() using the d1 (object of the subclass), the
method inside the subclass is called.
Notice that, the displayInfo() is declared protected in the Animal superclass. The
same method has the public access specifier in the Dog subclass. This is
possible because the public provides larger access than the protected .

Overriding Abstract Methods


In Java, abstract classes are created to be the superclass of other classes.
And, if a class contains an abstract method, it is mandatory to override it.

We will learn more about abstract classes and overriding of abstract methods
in later tutorials.
REFERENCES: https://www.programiz.com/java-programming/method-overriding

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