Help - How the inheritance of java works?

[freetochoose]

I have a question regarding the inheritance in Java. Suppose I have the following:

public class Parent {
public void printALetter() {System.out("Parent A");}
}

public class Child1 extends Parent {
public void printALetter() {System.out("Child1 A")};
}

public class Child2 extends Parent {
public void printALetter() {System.out("Child2 A")};
}


now I want to declare a variable of type Parent that can be assigned to either Child1 or Child2.

Parent p;
Child1 c1 = new Child1();
Child2 c2 = new Child2();

p = c1;
p.printALetter() // does this print out Child1 A
p = c2;
p.printALetter() // does this print out Child2 A

Somehow in my program both times it prints out Parent.
which is not what I want.
Basically I want to have a collection of either Child1 and Child2.
and in my program, I will just need to get assign any one of them
to a Parent reference, so it will call the method I want it too.
AM I Making sense?

Any help is appreciated.

ftc

[Fubarable]

Show your program as it should and does print out Child ...

[sunde887]

You should be using System.out.println. This should work polymorphically as you want since all the classes override the method. Perhaps someone else can say why this isn't working.

[JosAH]

Parent p;
Child1 c1 = new Child1();
Child2 c2 = new Child2();

p = c1;
p.printALetter() // does this print out Child1 A
p = c2;
p.printALetter() // does this print out Child2 A

Somehow in my program both times it prints out Parent.
which is not what I want.

You should put fresh batteries in your Java installation because what you described is incorrect behaviour; all methods (except when static of final) are virtual methods.

kind regards,

Jos

[Toll]

class Parent {
  public void printALetter()
  {
    System.out.println("Parent A"); 
  }
}

class Child1 extends Parent
{
  public void printALetter() 
  {
    System.out.println("Child1 A");
  }
}

class Child2 extends Parent 
{
  public void printALetter() 
  {
    System.out.println("Child2 A");
  }
}

public class IT
{
  public static void main(String[] args)
  {
    Parent p;
    Child1 c1 = new Child1();
    Child2 c2 = new Child2();

    p = c1;
    p.printALetter(); // does this print out Child1 A
    p = c2;
    p.printALetter(); // does this print out Child2 A
  }
}

Output:

Child1 A
Child2 A

Works on my Java-installation.