Inheritance query

[manishkumarlal cs]

Please check the following code

package Inheritance;

public class TestInheritance1 {
public static void main(String[] args)
{
A A1 = new A();
B B1 = new B();


A1 = B1;
A1.valueInt();
B1.valueInt();
System.out.println("........."+A1.i);
System.out.println("........."+B1.i);

}

}

class A
{
int i=0;

public void valueInt()
{

System.out.println("Value of i from class A:" + i);
}
}

class B extends A
{
int i = 5;
public void valueInt()
{

System.out.println("Value of i from class B :" + i);

}


}

Its giving the o/p as:

Value of i from class B :5
Value of i from class B :5
.........0
.........5

When we have assigned A1=B1, then why A1.i and A1.valueInt() are giving different values?

[Srikanth Basa]

Aha the old classic problem of which one will be invoked.

Please note that when you call a method on an object, the method is invoked based on the objects Runtime type (i.e. the actual object pointed to by the reference variable).

Whereas when you access a variable, the variable picked up by using the reference type (and not the Runtime type of the actual object)

Thats the reason why you get to see two different values for method vs variable.

[manishkumarlal cs]

Thank you,
Can you please elaborate on this.

[Srinivas Kalvala]

Hello,

The public & defualt instance attributes are always referenced by type but not run time reference.

The methods are always depends on the runtime reference but not type.

Let me put in clear way:

class A{int i;methodI();}
class B extends A{int i;methodI();}

A a=new A();
B b=new B();

a=b; --------> a.methodI() will refere b reference method
but --------> a.i will refer the type which is A so it will print A i value.