public class

[Dhiraj Nilange]

Hi there
I created a class in which I tried to override toString() method of
Object(topmost in hierarchy) class. But java compiler have error
saying that I should declare that overriden method as public. After
declaring the method(i.e. toString() ) as public ; the program was
compiled properly? But why does Java force me to make the overriden
method as public?
And surprisingly this doesn't happen in case of user classes. If I
create class A and then I extend a new class B. Then also I override
some method of A in B. i.e. refer to the following

class A{
void fun()
{

}
}

class B extends A{
void fun() // overriden
{

}
}

This gets compiled properly though I have not made fun() in B class as
public. So why does Java forces to make overriden methods public only
in some situations?
-Dhiraj

[Paul Clapham]

When you override a public method, you must declare the overridden method as
public. That's a rule of Java, you can't take a method private by
overriding it. Your example is not a counterexample to that rule because
you are not overriding a public method.

PC2

Dhiraj Nilange <dhiraj_nilange@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3a30f2f8$1@news.devx.com...
>
> Hi there
> I created a class in which I tried to override toString() method of
> Object(topmost in hierarchy) class. But java compiler have error
> saying that I should declare that overriden method as public. After
> declaring the method(i.e. toString() ) as public ; the program was
> compiled properly? But why does Java force me to make the overriden
> method as public?
> And surprisingly this doesn't happen in case of user classes. If I
> create class A and then I extend a new class B. Then also I override
> some method of A in B. i.e. refer to the following
>
> class A{
> void fun()
> {
>
> }
> }
>
> class B extends A{
> void fun() // overriden
> {
>
> }
> }
>
> This gets compiled properly though I have not made fun() in B class as
> public. So why does Java forces to make overriden methods public only
> in some situations?
> -Dhiraj
>