output of this code..

[Preetha Vasudevan]

please bare with me if this question is repeated because i am not sure of the correct choice.This question is from valiveru's mock test

question 4:
what happens when you compile this code:

class BaseclassA{
  static void sayhello(){
    System.out.println("Hi pal!! I am a Baseclass");
  }
}
public class  subclass extends baseclassA{
   static void sayhello(){
      system.out.println("Hi pal!! I am a subclass");
   }
   public static void main(String[] arg) {
     subclass bc=new subclass();
     bc.sayhello();
   }
}

The options are:

A: doesnt compile as you cannot override static methods
B:compiles and fails at runtime
c: compiles and prints "Hi pal!!I am a baseclass"
D:compiles and prints "Hi pal!! I am a subclass"

I marked as A as the answer but the answer is C!! can you override static method. If Both the classes were in the same file is it possible then to overirde the static method..
[ October 11, 2005: Message edited by: Mark Spritzler ]

[Mark Spritzler]

Hi Preetha.

Wow, three duplicate posts. How did you manage that. Well I deleted the other two duplicate of this post. Please try not to post the same question twice.

Mark

[Mark Spritzler]

First the code you typed won't compile.

Here is the code with minor changes to compile. Although it doesn't follow the Sun Java Coding Standard.

 
class BaseclassA{
  static void sayhello(){
    System.out.println("Hi pal!! I am a Baseclass");
  }
}
public class  subclass extends BaseclassA{
   static void sayhello(){
      System.out.println("Hi pal!! I am a subclass");
   }
   public static void main(String[] arg) {
     subclass bc=new subclass();
     bc.sayhello();
   }
}
 

Second, the correct answer would be "D" because the instance type is of subclass, so it will call the subclasses static method and print out "Hi pal!! I am a subclass:

Mark

[Steve Morrow]

can you override static method.

No. Static methods are not inherited; they can be hidden, but not overridden.

[Abhijit Sontakey]

Hi,
The above code works even if i change the modifier for of static method sayhello to public, then how is the static method hidden.Can you explain please.

Regards
Abhijit.

[Mark Spritzler]

Static methods are specific to a Class. Therefore it is only valid for that Class itself, it does not belong to super or sub classes. just itself. It does not even belong to one instance.

So a subclass with the same named and signature static method is completely different than the other. It is as if they really have different names and signatures.

Mark