Overloading Generic Methods

A generic method may be overloaded. A class can provide two or more generic methods that specify the same method name but different method parameters. For example, generic method printArray of Fig. 18.3 could be overloaded with another printArray generic method with the additional parameters lowSubscript and highSubscript to specify the portion of the array to output (see Exercise 18.5).

A generic method can also be overloaded by non-generic methods that have the same method name and number of parameters. When the compiler encounters a method call, it searches for the method declaration that most precisely matches the method name and the argument types specified in the call. For example, generic method printArray of Fig. 18.3 could be overloaded with a version that is specific to Strings, which outputs the Strings in neat, tabular format (see Exercise 18.6).

When the compiler encounters a method call, it performs a matching process to determine which method to invoke. The compiler tries to find and use a precise match in which the method names and argument types of the method call match those of a specific method declaration. If there is no such method, the compiler determines whether there is an inexact but applicable matching method.