Welcome to this tutorial on Java programming for diploma students. In this article, we will explore the concept of method overriding in Java, a fundamental topic in object-oriented programming.
Table of Contents
What is Overriding?
Overriding is a concept in Java that allows a subclass to provide a specific implementation for a method that is already defined in its superclass. This means that a subclass can replace the inherited method with its own implementation.
When a subclass defines a method with the same name, return type, and parameters as a method in its superclass, it is said to be overriding that method. The overridden method in the superclass is called the parent method, while the overriding method in the subclass is called the child method.
Example Code
Let's illustrate method overriding with a simple Java program.
class Vehicle {
void start() {
System.out.println("Vehicle is starting...");
}
}
class Car extends Vehicle {
@Override
void start() {
System.out.println("Car is starting...");
}
}
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Vehicle vehicle = new Car(); // Polymorphism
vehicle.start(); // Calls the overridden method in Car class
}
}
In this code, we have a base class Vehicle with a start() method. The Car class extends Vehicle and overrides the start() method with its own implementation.
Output of the Code
Car is starting...
As you can see, when we create a Car object and call its start() method, it prints "Car is starting..." because the overridden method in the Car class is executed instead of the one in the Vehicle class.
Conclusion
In this article, we have learned about the concept of method overriding in Java. This feature allows us to provide specific implementations for methods in a subclass, enhancing the flexibility and customization of our code.
Understanding overriding is essential for students pursuing MSBTE Diploma in engineering, as it forms the basis of object-oriented programming in Java and is commonly used in software development.