Private method overriding

[Mohnish Khiani]

Whats the logic behind this output ?

public class c
{
  public static void main(String a[])
  {
    b q=new b();
    q.printit();
    q.p(false);
}
}
class a
{
  private void printit()
  {
    System.out.print("Super");
}
void p(boolean f)
{if(f==true)
  {System.out.println("Hi");
}
else
  printit();
}
}
class b extends a
{void printit()
  {System.out.print("Sub");
}
}

Output : SubSuper

How?

[Rob Spoor]

Private methods cannot be overridden. Class b merely has a method that happens to have the same return type, name and parameters. Class b is unaware of the printit method of class a and vice versa. Therefore, when p calls printit in class a it does not call the printit method from class b (even though it's a subclass) but it calls the printit method from class a instead.

[Mohnish Khiani]

when p calls printit(),the object calling it is of class B.
Therefore it calls this.printit() where this is an object of class B.Hence it is like B.printit() and not A.printit() as there is no relationship between printit() of A and B.Please explain???

[Wouter Oet]

Remember that class names should start with an uppercase letter. I found it your code hard to read as it doesn't follow this convention.

Also don't do

if(f==true)

Do:

if(f)

[Bernhard Waidacher]

Mohnish Khiani wrote:when p calls printit(),the object calling it is of class B.
Therefore it calls this.printit() where this is an object of class B.Hence it is like B.printit() and not A.printit() as there is no relationship between printit() of A and B.Please explain???

There is no relationship becuase both printit are different methods.
Printit in class A is private, so the printit in B is a new method, and it does not override printit from A.
Both printit has just the same names. If you would give them different names, you would get the same result.