In object-oriented programming, method overloading allows us to define multiple methods with the same name but with different parameters. Overloading methods is a useful technique when we want to perform similar actions on different types of objects.

The Basics of Method Overloading

When overloading methods, we can have multiple methods with the same name but different parameter lists. The compiler determines which method to call based on the arguments passed during the method invocation.

Here is an example that demonstrates method overloading in Java:

public class Calculator {
    public int add(int a, int b) {
        return a + b;
    }

    public double add(double a, double b) {
        return a + b;
    }

    public String add(String a, String b) {
        return a + b;
    }
}

In this example, the Calculator class has three add methods, each with a different parameter list. The first method adds two integers, the second method adds two doubles, and the third method concatenates two strings.

Working with Different Object Types

Method overloading allows us to work with different object types and perform the desired behavior for each type. Let’s consider a class named Shape that represents different geometric shapes:

public class Shape {
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing a shape");
    }
}

public class Circle extends Shape {
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing a circle");
    }
}

public class Rectangle extends Shape {
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing a rectangle");
    }
}

In this example, we have a base class Shape and two derived classes Circle and Rectangle. Each class overrides the draw method to specify how to draw the corresponding geometric shape.

Now, let’s create another class that demonstrates method overloading with different object types:

public class Drawing {
    public void drawShape(Shape shape) {
        shape.draw();
    }

    public void drawShape(Circle circle) {
        circle.draw();
    }

    public void drawShape(Rectangle rectangle) {
        rectangle.draw();
    }
}

In the Drawing class, we have three drawShape methods that accept different object types: Shape, Circle, and Rectangle. When calling the drawShape method with an object of a specific type, the appropriate method will be invoked based on the object’s type.

Conclusion

Overloading methods with different object types allows us to handle different scenarios and perform specific actions based on the type of object we are working with. It enhances code organization and flexibility by enabling us to define multiple behaviors for the same method name. Using method overloading appropriately can make our code more readable and maintainable.

#Java #MethodOverloading