Do Upcasting effects on Static methods?

Question

Why It calls base class method when we declare method as static in base as well as in derive class and do upcasting.

class Base
{
    static void show(){
        System.out.println("Base class....");
    }
}
class Derive extends Base
{
    static void show(){
        System.out.println("Drive class....");
    }//method hidding.....

    public static void main(String[] args) 
    {
        Base b= new Derive();
            b.show();           
    }
}

you can't override static methods. – mre Aug 25 '12 at 19:21 — mre, Aug 25 '12 at 19:21

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 25 '12 at 19:21

There are several issues here to mention:

static methods are not inherited and not overridden by the sub-classes
static methods do not need an instance to be called, they need a class

So, basically, calling b.show(); actually means calling Base.show();

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 25 '12 at 19:24

You're calling Base.show, not Derive.show. Method hiding is not overriding.

§8.4.8.2. of the Java Language Specification gives an example that demonstrates exactly what happens here:

A class (static) method that is hidden can be invoked by using a reference whose type is the class that actually contains the declaration of the method. In this respect, hiding of static methods is different from overriding of instance methods. The example:
class Super {
    static String greeting() { return "Goodnight"; }
    String name() { return "Richard"; }
}
class Sub extends Super {
    static String greeting() { return "Hello"; }
    String name() { return "Dick"; }
}
class Test {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Super s = new Sub();
        System.out.println(s.greeting() + ", " + s.name());
    }
}
produces the output:

Goodnight, Dick

because the invocation of greeting uses the type of s, namely Super, to figure out, at compile time, which class method to invoke, whereas the invocation of name uses the class of s, namely Sub, to figure out, at run-time, which instance method to invoke.

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 25 '12 at 19:39

Just one more completion to the answers above. It's best to invoke class methods by their class not by an instance variable: Base.show() not b.show() to make clear that the method is a static method. This is especially useful in your case when you are hiding a method, not overriding it.

Do Upcasting effects on Static methods?

3 Answers3