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The document discusses the use of the 'super()' constructor in object-oriented programming, explaining how it allows subclasses to call constructors and access members of their immediate superclass. It highlights the ability to create multilevel class hierarchies, where subclasses can inherit traits from multiple superclasses. Additionally, it provides examples of class instances and their properties, emphasizing the importance of 'super' in managing member visibility and inheritance.

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Asim Dinda
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2 views

java_research_3

The document discusses the use of the 'super()' constructor in object-oriented programming, explaining how it allows subclasses to call constructors and access members of their immediate superclass. It highlights the ability to create multilevel class hierarchies, where subclasses can inherit traits from multiple superclasses. Additionally, it provides examples of class instances and their properties, emphasizing the importance of 'super' in managing member visibility and inheritance.

Uploaded by

Asim Dinda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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This program generates the following output:

Volume of mybox1 is 3000.0


Weight of mybox1 is 34.3

Volume of mybox2 is 24.0


Weight of mybox2 is 0.076

Volume of mybox3 is -1.0


Weight of mybox3 is -1.0

Volume of myclone is 3000.0


Weight of myclone is 34.3

Volume of mycube is 27.0


Weight of mycube is 2.0

Pay special attention to this constructor in BoxWeight:

Notice that super( ) is passed an object of type BoxWeight—not of


type Box. This still invokes the constructor Box(Box ob). As mentioned
earlier, a superclass variable can be used to reference any object derived
from that class. Thus, we are able to pass a BoxWeight object to the Box
constructor. Of course, Box only has knowledge of its own members.
Let’s review the key concepts behind super( ). When a subclass calls
super( ), it is calling the constructor of its immediate superclass. Thus,
super( ) always refers to the superclass immediately above the calling
class. This is true even in a multileveled hierarchy. Also, super( ) must
always be the first statement executed inside a subclass constructor.

A Second Use for super


The second form of super acts somewhat like this, except that it always
refers to the superclass of the subclass in which it is used. This usage has
the following general form:
super.member
Here, member can be either a method or an instance variable.
This second form of super is most applicable to situations in which
member names of a subclass hide members by the same name in the
superclass. Consider this simple class hierarchy:
This program displays the following:
i in superclass: 1
i in subclass: 2

Although the instance variable i in B hides the i in A, super allows


access to the i defined in the superclass. As you will see, super can also be
used to call methods that are hidden by a subclass.

Creating a Multilevel Hierarchy


Up to this point, we have been using simple class hierarchies that consist
of only a superclass and a subclass. However, you can build hierarchies
that contain as many layers of inheritance as you like. As mentioned, it is
perfectly acceptable to use a subclass as a superclass of another. For
example, given three classes called A, B, and C, C can be a subclass of B,
which is a subclass of A. When this type of situation occurs, each subclass
inherits all of the traits found in all of its superclasses. In this case, C
inherits all aspects of B and A. To see how a multilevel hierarchy can be
useful, consider the following program. In it, the subclass BoxWeight is
used as a superclass to create the subclass called Shipment. Shipment
inherits all of the traits of BoxWeight and Box, and adds a field called
cost, which holds the cost of shipping such a parcel.

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