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Java Super

The document discusses the uses of the super keyword in Java. The super keyword is used to access members of the parent class from a child class. It can be used to call overridden methods of the parent class, access attributes of the parent class, and call parent class constructors from the child class constructor.

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Ven Dicator
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5 views

Java Super

The document discusses the uses of the super keyword in Java. The super keyword is used to access members of the parent class from a child class. It can be used to call overridden methods of the parent class, access attributes of the parent class, and call parent class constructors from the child class constructor.

Uploaded by

Ven Dicator
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Java super

In this tutorial, we will learn about the super keyword in Java with the help of
examples.

The super keyword in Java is used in subclasses to access superclass


members (attributes, constructors and methods).
Before we learn about the super keyword, make sure to know about Java
inheritance.

Uses of super keyword


1. To call methods of the superclass that is overridden in the subclass.

2. To access attributes (fields) of the superclass if both superclass and


subclass have attributes with the same name.

3. To explicitly call superclass no-arg (default) or parameterized


constructor from the subclass constructor.

Let’s understand each of these uses.

1. Access Overridden Methods of the superclass


If methods with the same name are defined in both superclass and subclass,
the method in the subclass overrides the method in the superclass. This is
called method overriding.
Example 1: Method overriding
class Animal {

// overridden method
public void display(){
System.out.println("I am an animal");
}
}

class Dog extends Animal {

// overriding method
@Override
public void display(){
System.out.println("I am a dog");
}

public void printMessage(){


display();
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Dog dog1 = new Dog();
dog1.printMessage();
}
}
Run Code

Output

I am a dog

In this example, by making an object dog1 of Dog class, we can call its
method printMessage() which then executes the display() statement.
Since display() is defined in both the classes, the method of
subclass Dog overrides the method of superclass Animal . Hence, the display() of
the subclass is called.

What if the overridden method of the superclass has to be called?


We use super.display() if the overridden method display() of
superclass Animal needs to be called.
Example 2: super to Call Superclass Method
class Animal {

// overridden method
public void display(){
System.out.println("I am an animal");
}
}

class Dog extends Animal {

// overriding method
@Override
public void display(){
System.out.println("I am a dog");
}

public void printMessage(){

// this calls overriding method


display();

// this calls overridden method


super.display();
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Dog dog1 = new Dog();
dog1.printMessage();
}
}
Run Code

Output

I am a dog
I am an animal

Here, how the above program works.


2. Access Attributes of the Superclass
The superclass and subclass can have attributes with the same name. We
use the super keyword to access the attribute of the superclass.
Example 3: Access superclass attribute
class Animal {
protected String type="animal";
}

class Dog extends Animal {


public String type="mammal";

public void printType() {


System.out.println("I am a " + type);
System.out.println("I am an " + super.type);
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Dog dog1 = new Dog();
dog1.printType();
}
}
Run Code

Output:

I am a mammal
I am an animal

In this example, we have defined the same instance field type in both the
superclass Animal and the subclass Dog .

We then created an object dog1 of the Dog class. Then, the printType() method is
called using this object.
Inside the printType() function,
 type refers to the attribute of the subclass Dog .

 super.type refers to the attribute of the superclass Animal.


Hence, System.out.println("I am a " + type); prints I am a mammal .

And, System.out.println("I am an " + super.type); prints I am an animal .

3. Use of super() to access superclass constructor


As we know, when an object of a class is created, its default constructor is
automatically called.
To explicitly call the superclass constructor from the subclass constructor, we
use super() . It's a special form of the super keyword.
super() can be used only inside the subclass constructor and must be the first
statement.
Example 4: Use of super()
class Animal {

// default or no-arg constructor of class Animal


Animal() {
System.out.println("I am an animal");
}
}

class Dog extends Animal {

// default or no-arg constructor of class Dog


Dog() {

// calling default constructor of the superclass


super();

System.out.println("I am a dog");
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Dog dog1 = new Dog();
}
}
Run Code

Output

I am an animal
I am a dog

Here, when an object dog1 of Dog class is created, it automatically calls the
default or no-arg constructor of that class.
Inside the subclass constructor, the super() statement calls the constructor of
the superclass and executes the statements inside it. Hence, we get the
output I am an animal .

The flow of the program then returns back to the subclass constructor and
executes the remaining statements. Thus, I am a dog will be printed.
However, using super() is not compulsory. Even if super() is not used in the
subclass constructor, the compiler implicitly calls the default constructor of the
superclass.
So, why use redundant code if the compiler automatically invokes
super()?
It is required if the parameterized constructor (a constructor that takes
arguments) of the superclass has to be called from the subclass constructor.
The parameterized super() must always be the first statement in the body of
the constructor of the subclass, otherwise, we get a compilation error.
Example 5: Call Parameterized Constructor Using super()
class Animal {

// default or no-arg constructor


Animal() {
System.out.println("I am an animal");
}

// parameterized constructor
Animal(String type) {
System.out.println("Type: "+type);
}
}

class Dog extends Animal {

// default constructor
Dog() {

// calling parameterized constructor of the superclass


super("Animal");

System.out.println("I am a dog");
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Dog dog1 = new Dog();
}
}
Run Code

Output

Type: Animal
I am a dog

The compiler can automatically call the no-arg constructor. However, it cannot
call parameterized constructors.
If a parameterized constructor has to be called, we need to explicitly define it
in the subclass constructor.

Note that in the above example, we explicitly called the parameterized


constructor super("Animal") . The compiler does not call the default constructor
of the superclass in this case.

REFERENCES: https://www.programiz.com/java-programming/super-keyword

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