Method Overriding

Let's start with an example. If Aphrodite Keys is a famous celebrity, her mother, Hera Keys is also a famous celebrity. Whatever the parent is doing is inherited by the child.

In programming, method overriding means that whatever the parent class is doing, it is inherited by the child class. Given the code below:


class CodeGalaxy
{
public void planet()
{
System.out.print("Pluto is not considered a planet");
}
}


class MilyWay extends CodeGalaxy
{
public void planet()
{
System.out.print("How many planets do we have now?");
}
}


public class RunningCode
{
public static void main(String args[])
{
CodeGalaxy output1 = new CodeGalaxy();
CodeGalaxy output2 = new Milkyway();


output1.planet();
output2.planet()
}
}


Class MilkyWay extends CodeGalaxy is better understood as MilkyWay overrides CodeGalaxy.  The output will be:

Pluto is not considered a planet.How many planets do we have now?

For more on Overriding, refer to next post about the extend keyword.