Show 1.14. Defining Two or More Methods with the Same NameProblemYou would like to implement two or more methods with the same name in one object. In object-oriented programming, this is called method overloading. However, in Objective-C, method overloading does not exist in the same way as it does in other programming languages such as C++. SolutionUse the same name for your method, but keep the number and/or the names of your parameters different in every method:
This example shows a typical pattern in overloading. Each rectangle can be drawn either filled (solid color) or empty (showing just its boundaries). The first procedure is a “convenience procedure” that allows the caller to avoid specifying how to fill the rectangle. In our implementation of the first procedure, we merely call the second procedure, making the choice for the caller (
DiscussionYou can define two methods with the same name so long as they differ in the parameters they accept. One reasons for doing this is one function offers more customization (through parameterization) than the other function. Method overloading is a programming language feature supported by Objective-C, C++, Java, and a few other languages. Using this feature, programmers can create different methods with the same name, in the same object. However, method overloading in Objective-C differs from that which can be used in C++. For instance, in C++, to overload a method, the programmer needs to assign a different number of parameters to the same method and/or change a parameter’s data type. In Objective-C, however, you simply change the name of at least one parameter. Changing the type of parameters will not work:
Changing the return value of these methods will not work either:
As a result, you need to change the number of parameters or the name of (at least) one parameter that each method accepts. Here is an example where we have changed the number of parameters:
Here is an example of changing the name of a parameter:
Can you spot the difference between the declarations of
these two methods? The first method’s second parameter is called Here is another example of two methods that draw a circle but have different names for their second parameter:
Here is a concise extract of the things to look out for when constructing and working with methods:
When two methods use the same name but different arguments it is called?Educative Answers Team. Overloading occurs when two or more methods in one class have the same method name but different parameters.
What is it called when two methods have the same name?Having two or more methods named the same in the same class is called overloading. It's not overloading if you have the same method name in two different classes. There's a rule for overloading.
Can two methods have the same name but different return type?But you cannot declare two methods with the same signature and different return types. It will throw a compile-time error. If both methods have the same parameter types, but different return types, then it is not possible.
Is this an example of method overloading or overriding?Overloading vs Overriding: Difference between Method Overloading and Method Overriding. |