OOP (java)

MSc. Mohammed AL-Sayani

Inheritance in Java
1. Inheritance
2. Types of Inheritance
3. Why multiple inheritance is not possible in
Java in case of class?
Inheritance in Java is a mechanism in which one
object acquires all the properties and behaviors of a
parent object. It is an important part of OOPs
(Object Oriented programming system).
The idea behind inheritance in Java is that you can
create new classes that are built upon existing
classes. When you inherit from an existing class,
you can reuse methods and fields of the parent
class. Moreover, you can add new methods and
fields in your current class also.
Inheritance represents the IS-A relationship which
is also known as a parent-child relationship.
Why use inheritance in java
• For Method Overriding (so runtime

polymorphism can be achieved).

• For Code Reusability.

Terms used in Inheritance

• Class: A class is a group of objects which

have common properties. It is a template or

blueprint from which objects are created.
• Sub Class/Child Class: Subclass is a class

which inherits the other class. It is also called a

derived class, extended class, or child class.
• Super Class/Parent Class: Superclass is the

class from where a subclass inherits the

 features. It is also called a base class or a
parent class.
• Reusability: As the name specifies, reusability

is a mechanism which facilitates you to reuse

the fields and methods of the existing class
when you create a new class. You can use the
same fields and methods already defined in the
previous class.
The syntax of Java Inheritance
1. class Subclass-name extends Superclass-
name
2. {
3. //methods and fields
4. }
The extends keyword indicates that you are
making a new class that derives from an existing
class. The meaning of "extends" is to increase the
functionality.
In the terminology of Java, a class which is
inherited is called a parent or superclass, and the
new class is called child or subclass.
Java Inheritance Example

As displayed in the above figure, Programmer is

the subclass and Employee is the superclass. The
relationship between the two classes is
Programmer IS-A Employee. It means that
Programmer is a type of Employee.
1. class Employee{
2. float salary=40000;
3. }
4. class Programmer extends Employee{
5. int bonus=10000;
6. public static void main(String args[]){
7. Programmer p=new Programmer();
8. System.out.println("Programmer salary is:"+
p.salary);
9. System.out.println("Bonus of Programmer is:
"+p.bonus);
10. }
 11. }
Programmer salary is:40000.0
Bonus of programmer is:10000
In the above example, Programmer object can
access the field of own class as well as of
Employee class i.e. code reusability.

Types of inheritance in java

On the basis of class, there can be three types of
inheritance in java: single, multilevel and
hierarchical.
In java programming, multiple and hybrid
inheritance is supported through interface only. We
will learn about interfaces later.

4. Note: Multiple inheritance is not supported

in Java through class.
When one class inherits multiple classes, it is
known as multiple inheritance. For Example:
Single Inheritance Example
When a class inherits another class, it is known as a
single inheritance. In the example given below,
Dog class inherits the Animal class, so there is the
single inheritance.
File: TestInheritance.java
1. class Animal{
2. void eat(){System.out.println("eating...");}
3. }
4. class Dog extends Animal{
5. void bark(){System.out.println("barking...");}
6. }
7. class TestInheritance{
8. public static void main(String args[]){
9. Dog d=new Dog();
10. d.bark();
11. d.eat();
12. }}
Output:
barking...
eating...
Multilevel Inheritance Example
When there is a chain of inheritance, it is known as
multilevel inheritance. As you can see in the
example given below, BabyDog class inherits the
Dog class which again inherits the Animal class, so
there is a multilevel inheritance.
File: TestInheritance2.java
1. class Animal{
2. void eat()
{
3. System.out.println("eating...");
4. }
5. }
6. class Dog extends Animal{
7. void bark(){System.out.println("barking...");}
8. }
9. class BabyDog extends Dog{
10. void weep(){System.out.println("weeping.
..");}
11. }
12. class TestInheritance2{
13. public static void main(String args[]){
14. BabyDog d=new BabyDog();
15. d.weep();
16. d.bark();
17. d.eat();
18. }}
Output:
weeping...
barking...
eating...
Hierarchical Inheritance Example
When two or more classes inherits a single class, it
is known as hierarchical inheritance. In the
example given below, Dog and Cat classes inherits
the Animal class, so there is hierarchical
inheritance.
File: TestInheritance3.java

1. class Animal{
2. void eat(){
3. System.out.println("eating...");
4. }
5. }
6. class Dog extends Animal{
7. void bark(){System.out.println("barking...");}
8. }
9. class Cat extends Animal{
10. void meow(){System.out.println("meowin
g...");}
11. }
12. class TestInheritance3{
13. public static void main(String args[]){
14. Cat c=new Cat();
15. c.meow();
16. c.eat();
17. //c.bark();//C.T.Error
 18. }}
Output:
meowing...
eating...

Q) Why multiple inheritance is not supported in

java?
To reduce the complexity and simplify the
language, multiple inheritance is not supported in
java.
Consider a scenario where A, B, and C are three
classes. The C class inherits A and B classes. If A
and B classes have the same method and you call it
from child class object, there will be ambiguity to
call the method of A or B class.
Since compile-time errors are better than runtime
errors, Java renders compile-time error if you
inherit 2 classes. So whether you have same
method or different, there will be compile time
error.
1. class A{
2. void msg(){System.out.println("Hello");}
3. }
4. class B{
5. void msg(){System.out.println("Welcome");}
6. }
7. class C extends A,B{//suppose if it were
8.
9. public static void main(String args[]){
10. C obj=new C();
11. obj.msg();//Now which msg() method w
ould be invoked?
12. }
13. }