What are the points to consider in terms of access modifiers when we are overriding any method?

By | March 7, 2023

When overriding a method in Java, there are several points to consider with regards to access modifiers:

  1. The access modifier of the overriding method cannot be more restrictive than that of the overridden method. For example, if the overridden method is public, the overriding method cannot be private or protected.
  2. The access modifier of the overriding method can be less restrictive than that of the overridden method. For example, if the overridden method is protected, the overriding method can be public.
  3. If the overridden method is public, the overriding method must also be public.
  4. If the overridden method is protected, the overriding method can be protected or public, but not private.
  5. If the overridden method is package-private (default), the overriding method must also be package-private or public, but not protected or private.
  6. The return type of the overriding method must be the same as or a subtype of the return type of the overridden method.
  7. The method name, parameter types, and number of parameters of the overriding method must exactly match those of the overridden method.
  8. The overridden method cannot be final or static, since final methods cannot be overridden and static methods belong to the class rather than to instances of the class.

By following these rules, you can override a method in a way that is compatible with the access modifiers of the overridden method and does not introduce any incompatibilities or errors in the code.

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