static method overriding in same class

[Pratap gogireddy]

hi friends

I got this question in one of the MNC written exam

class abctest
{
static void m1(Object o){System.out.println("Hello Object!");}
static void m1(String s){System.out.println("Hello String!");}
public static void main(String[] args)
{
m1(null);
}
}

when i test on the System the OUTPUT is Hello String

Why it takes String Method instead of Object Method can any one explain for me please


Thanks in advance....

[Riaan Nel]

As far as I know, Java takes the most specific method that it can find.

null is valid for any Object, including a String. Hence, the String method is called.

<nitpick>You're referring to overloading, not overriding.</nitpick>

[Campbell Ritchie]

That is more than a nitpick. If people think they can override static method, or fields, they will get all sorts of errors with the wrong member of a class being used.

[Claudiu Chelemen]

Similar topic here, you may want to check Steve's reply.

Cheers,
Claudiu

[Jesper de Jong]

The example you give is overloading, not overriding.

[Thomas Kennedy]

This is overloading, not overriding, as others have pointed out. I will add that my understanding is that, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as overriding a static method. An override happens at runtime, when the jvm, which already knows the signature of the method to be invoked (that's recorded by the compiler), figures out what object to invoke the method on. So if you had this:

class betty{
public static void bedoop(){}
}

class boop extends betty{
public static void bedoop(){}

public static void main(String[] args){
new boop().bedoop();
}
}

Because statics are invoked on the class, there is nothing for the jvm to decide, and so no override is taking place here.

[Campbell Ritchie]

. . . but it would be different if you wrote

betty bbb = new boop();
bbb.bedoop();