Java “trick”, redefining daughter class member

Question

I\'m training for a Java exam, and I\'ve come across something I don\'t understand in last year subject. Here is the code

class Mother {
    int var = 2;

    in         


        

Answer 1

Methods can be overridden however fields can only be hidden. The difference is that a non-static method uses the type of the object referenced, a field takes the type of the reference. You see a similar thing with static methods which only be hidden where the class of the "reference" and the object (if provided) is ignored.

For your interest, try giving the fields different types. ;)

You can also try

System.out.println(((Mother)m).var); // uses var in Mother
System.out.println(((Daughter)m).var); // uses var in Daughter