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In today’s digital era, Java has emerged as the most widely accessed programming language with robust features. Inheritance is among the key themes of OOPs and Java. This feature enables developers to pass data members and properties from one class to the other. In this blog, let’s explore all about Inheritance in Java its types, how inheritance in java works and what are the advantages and disadvantages associated with it.
Inheritance is the foundation of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). It is the process in Java that allows a class to inherit the methods and fields (characteristics) of another class. Inheritance in Java refers to the process of building new classes from older ones. You can also incorporate additional methods and fields into your existing class.
When an object inherits from a parent object in Java, it takes on each of the parent object’s attributes
and behaviors. It is a crucial component of the object-oriented programming system or OOPs. Java’s inheritance system is designed to allow you to build new classes on top of pre-existing ones. When a user inherits from an existing class, they get to use the parent class’s properties and methods. Now that we know what inheritance in java is, let’s look at why we use inheritance in java.
Let’s take a look at the key terms used in inheritance in java to understand it better.
A class is a collection of objects that have similar traits, behaviors, and attributes. Class does not exist in the actual world. To produce items, it only serves as a model, prototype, or blueprint.
A class that descended from a base class is known as a derived class. It is sometimes referred to as a subclass or a child class.
The primary class from which derived classes inherit their features is called the base class. It is also referred to as the parent class or superclass.
One of the most useful contributions of inheritance in java would be the reusability of a code. The idea of “reusability” is highly supported by java inheritance. For instance, if we wish to construct a new class but an existing one already contains a few of the codes we need, we use the old one to derive the new one. By doing so, you can utilize the methods and fields of the pre-existing class.
By now, you’ve covered the fundamentals of java inheritance in addition to the many types and term used in inheritance. So, let’s go over certain guidelines that we must adhere to while creating applications that use java inheritance.
There’s no way that Java enables multiple inheritances. The Java compiler generates a compilation error whenever the user attempts multiple inheritances in a program.
Cyclic inheritance is where a class inherits itself to a form or structure of a cycle.
If you know about ‘access modifiers,’ you’ll recall that inheritance isn’t applicable to members with private access.
The fact that constructors are leveraged for creating class objects means that they aren’t inherited from class to class.
You already know quite a lot of inheritance examples. You can make a reference to the parent class type and then use the new keyword to create a derived class object that you’ll assign to the parent class.
According to a rule, it’s clear that the inheritance of constructors isn’t possible. However, the superclass’s constructor could be implemented within the derived class’s constructor, leveraging the super () call.
In Java, a class is capable of borrowing attributes and methods from any other class. The term’ child class’ or ‘subclass’ refers to the class that receives the properties by inheritance. The class from which the inheritance of the properties is done is called the parent class or superclass.
There are 5 various inheritance in Java, which include:
In this java inheritance, a single subclass extends from single superclass. Basically, both the parent as well as the child class are present in a single inheritance. The child class - the commonly used one - inherits the data members and methods from the parent class.
In Multi-level inheritance in java, a subclass that extends from a superclass also serves as the superclass for another class in a hierarchical inheritance system.
The multiple inheritance in java allows a class to have many superclasses and inherit characteristics from all of its parent classes. Be aware that Java does not support multiple inheritances using classes. Only by using interfaces can we obtain multiple inheritances in Java.
In this java inheritance, multiple subclass extends from a superclass. A parent-child relationship is what hierarchical inheritance is. The sole distinction is that several child classes derive from a single-parent class.
A seamless combination of inheritance in Java is known as hybrid inheritance. Multiple inheritance types are seen in this form of inheritance.
Let’s look at the disadvantages of inheritance of java.
Let’s look at the disadvantages of inheritance of java.
Are you interested in knowing about inheritance in Java? If so, explore this article on the various Types of Inheritance in Java!
This concludes the guide and discussion on inheritance in Java. By now, you must have gained knowledge of the fundamentals of inheritance in Java, including relationships, access modifiers, and more. Now that you have the resources, you may create Java programs that are more reusable, which is a cornerstone of Java OOP (Object Oriented Programming).
Do you want to learn more about Java? If so, check this article on What is Arrays in Java | Everything You Need to Know. And if you want to make a career in Java and become a professional developer, you can enroll yourself in HeroVired’s Full Stack Development Course.
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