Method Overloading
Method overloading is the process of defining multiple methods with the same name but different parameters. Each method must have a unique signature that consists of the method name and the number, type, and order of its parameters. The return type of the method does not contribute to its signature.
When a method is called, the compiler matches the arguments passed with the method signature to determine which version of the method to call. If there is an exact match, that method is called. If there is no exact match, the compiler looks for the closest match and performs a type conversion if necessary.
Consider the following example:
public class MathUtils {
public static int add(int a, int b) {
return a + b;
}
public static double add(double a, double b) {
return a + b;
}
public static int add(int a, int b, int c) {
return a + b + c;
}
}
In the above code, we have defined three methods with the name add but with different parameters. The first method takes two int parameters and returns an int. The second method takes two double parameters and returns a double. The third method takes three int parameters and returns an int.
Now, let’s see how we can call these methods:
int sum1 = MathUtils.add(1, 2); // Calls the first method
doublesum2 = MathUtils.add(1.5, 2.5); // Calls the second method
int sum3 = MathUtils.add(1, 2, 3); // Calls the third method
In the first statement, we are calling the add method with two int parameters. This will call the first method and return the sum of the two integers.
In the second statement, we are calling the add method with two double parameters. This will call the second method and return the sum of the two doubles.
In the third statement, we are calling the add method with three int parameters. This will call the third method and return the sum of the three integers.
Method overloading provides flexibility and convenience when designing a class. By defining multiple methods with the same name but different parameters, we can perform similar operations on different types of data without having to write separate methods for each case.
Conclusion :
Method overloading is a powerful feature in Java that allows multiple methods to be defined with the same name but different parameters. By providing flexibility and convenience, method overloading can simplify the code and reduce the need for separate methods. When a method is called, the compiler determines which version of the method to use based on the arguments passed, making it easy to perform similar operations on different types of data.