Overloading (Signature/Number of Arguments)

Question

Hi friends,
I am relatively new to java.
I have written this program -
1     /*
2     * Xtemp.java
3     * Created on January 21, 2002.
4     */
5     class material{
6     public void item(int abc){
7     abc = abc * abc;
8     System.out.println(abc);
9     }
10     }
11     class order extends material {
12     public void item(float abc
13     ,int kk
14     ) {
15     abc = abc * abc * abc;
16     System.out.println(abc);
17     }
18     }
19     public class Xtemp {
20     public static void main(String[] args) {
21     int k = 3;
22     material material2 = new material();
23     material2.item(2);
24     order order2 = new order();
25     order2.item(2.2f
26     ,k
27     );
28     order2.item(k);
29     }
30     }
Now this is a simple case of overloading in which the method "item " from class "material" has been overloaded in class "order" which is a subclass of "material".
And this program in itself works fine.
But if we comment-out the line number 13 and (hence) line no 26 also then this program gives error. This should not happen idealy......because the method "item" in class "order" differs from the method "item" in class "material" in that they have different types of arguments. But it gives ambiguity error.
And if the line nos 13 and 26 are included in program then the number of arguments to these methods differ.
So my question is -
Does java go after the number of arguments rather than type of arguments ????? (Whenever there is an ambiguity !!!!!!! )
[email protected]

Answer 1

Dude,
Consider the following example:
public class Foo {
     private int i;
     public Foo (int parm) {
          i = parm;
     public int getI() {
          return i;
     public void setI (int parm) {
          i = parm;
     public void Baz (float j) {
          System.out.println ("In Foo's Baz (with float parm " + j + ")");
public class Bar extends Foo {
     public Bar (int parm) {
          super(parm);
     public void Baz (int j) {
          System.out.println ("In Bar's Baz (with int parm " + j + ")");
public class woo {
     public static void main (String [] args) {
          Foo f = new Foo (2);
          Bar b = new Bar (3);
          b.Baz((int)1);
          f.Baz(2.2f);
          b.Baz((float) 1);
}Running this example, I get:
In Bar's Baz (with int parm 1)
In Foo's Baz (with float parm 2.2)
In Foo's Baz (with float parm 1.0)
This is the behavior you want, right?
Larry