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Method Overriding in Python

 


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Method Overriding in Python

Method overriding allows a subclass to provide a specific implementation for a method that is already defined in its superclass. This is particularly useful when the behavior needs to be extended or modified. Overriding ensures that the method in the subclass has the same name, return type, and parameters as the method in the parent class.

When a method in a subclass has the same signature as a method in its superclass, the subclass method overrides the superclass method. This allows the subclass to provide a specific implementation of the method.

Let's explore an example to understand method overriding in detail:

Example: Method Overriding

class Animal:
    # Method in the superclass
    def speak(self):
        return "Animal speaks"

class Dog(Animal):
    # Overriding the method in the subclass
    def speak(self):
        return "Dog barks"

animal = Animal()
dog = Dog()

print(animal.speak())  # Output: Animal speaks
print(dog.speak())    # Output: Dog barks
Explanation:

In the above example, we have a superclass Animal with a method speak that returns the string "Animal speaks". The subclass Dog inherits from Animal and overrides the speak method to return "Dog barks".

When we create an instance of Animal and call the speak method, it returns "Animal speaks". However, when we create an instance of Dog and call the speak method, it returns "Dog barks". This demonstrates how the speak method in the Dog class overrides the speak method in the Animal class.

Using super() to Call the Superclass Method

In some cases, we might want to call the overridden method from the superclass in the subclass. This can be done using the super() function. Here's an example:


class Animal:
    def speak(self):
        return "Animal speaks"

class Dog(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        # Calling the superclass method using super()
        parent_speak = super().speak()
        return parent_speak + " and Dog barks"

dog = Dog()
print(dog.speak())  # Output: Animal speaks and Dog barks

In this example, the speak method in the Dog class calls the speak method from the Animal class using super() and then appends additional behavior to it.

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