When will overloading happens?

Answer 1

Overloaded methods let you reuse the same method name in a class, but with different arguments (and optionally, a different return type). Overloading a method often means you're being a little nicer to those who call your methods, because your code takes on the burden of coping with different argument types rather than forcing the caller to do conversions prior to invoking your method. The rules are simple:

• Overloaded methods MUST change the argument list.

• Overloaded methods CAN change the return type.

• Overloaded methods CAN change the access modifier.

• Overloaded methods CAN declare new or broader checked exceptions.

• A method can be overloaded in the same class or in a subclass. In other words, if class A defines a doStuff(int i) method, the subclass B could define a doStuff(String s) method without overriding the superclass version that takes an int. So two methods with the same name but in different classes can still be considered overloaded, if the subclass inherits one version of the method and then declares another overloaded version in its class definition.

Let us say we have the Ferrari class with a method drive() as below:

Public class Ferrari extends Car {

Public void drive() {…}

}

Below are the legal overload method declarations:

1. public void drive(String destination, String roadToTake) {…}

2. public void drive(String destination, int timeToTake) {…}

3. public void drive(String destination) throws RouteNotFoundException {…}

Assuming that the Ferrari class has the above 3 methods, below are is an illegal overload:

1. public String drive (String destination, String roadToTake) {…} - You cannot have two methods which differ just in the return type. This is not allowed