Inheritance in Java is a mechanism in which one

object acquires all the properties and behaviors of a

parent object. It is an important part of OOPs (Object
Oriented programming system).

The idea behind inheritance in Java is that you can

create new classes that are built upon existing
classes. When you inherit from an existing class,
you can reuse methods and fields of the parent
class. Moreover, you can add new methods and
fields in your current class also.
Inheritance represents the IS-A
relationship which is also known as a parent-
child relationship.

Why use inheritance in java

o For Method Overriding (so runtime
polymorphism can be achieved).
o For Code Reusability.

Terms used in Inheritance

o Class: A class is a group of objects which have
common properties. It is a template or blueprint
from which objects are created.
o Sub Class/Child Class: Subclass is a class which
inherits the other class. It is also called a derived
class, extended class, or child class.
o Super Class/Parent Class: Superclass is the
class from where a subclass inherits the features.
It is also called a base class or a parent class.
 o Reusability: As the name specifies, reusability is
a mechanism which facilitates you to reuse the
fields and methods of the existing class when you
create a new class. You can use the same fields
and methods already defined in the previous
class.

The syntax of Java Inheritance

1. class Subclass-name extends Superclass-name
2. {
3. //methods and fields
4. }

The extends keyword indicates that you are making

a new class that derives from an existing class. The
meaning of "extends" is to increase the functionality.

a class which is inherited is called a parent or

superclass, and the new class is called child or
subclass.
 Programmer is the subclass and Employee is the
superclass. The relationship between the two classes
is Programmer IS-A Employee. It means that
Programmer is a type of Employee.

1.class Employee{
2. float salary=40000;
3.}
4.class Programmer extends Employee{
5. int bonus=10000;
6. public static void main(String args[]){
7. Programmer p=new Programmer();
8. System.out.println("Programmer salary is:"+p.sal
ary);
9. System.out.println("Bonus of Programmer is:"+p.
bonus);
10. }
11. }

Types of inheritance in java

On the basis of class, there can be three types of
inheritance in java: single, multilevel and
hierarchical.
In java programming, multiple and hybrid
inheritance is supported through interface only. We
will learn about interfaces later.
When one class inherits multiple classes, it is known
as multiple inheritance. For Example:

Single Inheritance Example

When a class inherits another class, it is known as
a single inheritance. In the example given below,
Dog class inherits the Animal class, so there is the
single inheritance.
1.class Animal{
2.void eat(){System.out.println("eating...");}
3.}
4.class Dog extends Animal{
5.void bark(){System.out.println("barking...");}
6.}
7.class TestInheritance{
8.public static void main(String args[]){
9.Dog d=new Dog();
10. d.bark();
11. d.eat();
12. }}

Multilevel Inheritance Example

When there is a chain of inheritance, it is known
as multilevel inheritance. As you can see in the
example given below, BabyDog class inherits the
Dog class which again inherits the Animal class, so
there is a multilevel inheritance.
1.class Animal{
2.void eat(){System.out.println("eating...");}
3.}
4.class Dog extends Animal{
5.void bark(){System.out.println("barking...");}
6.}
7.class BabyDog extends Dog{
8.void weep(){System.out.println("weeping...");}
9.}
10. class TestInheritance2{
11. public static void main(String args[]){
12. BabyDog d=new BabyDog();
13. d.weep();
14. d.bark();
15. d.eat();
16. }}

Hierarchical Inheritance Example

When two or more classes inherits a single class, it is
known as hierarchical inheritance. In the example
given below, Dog and Cat classes inherits the Animal
class, so there is hierarchical inheritance.
1. class Animal{
2. void eat(){System.out.println("eating...");}
3. }
4. class Dog extends Animal{
5. void bark(){System.out.println("barking...");}
6. }
7. class Cat extends Animal{
8. void meow(){System.out.println("meowing...");}
9. }
10. class TestInheritance3{
11. public static void main(String args[]){
12. Cat c=new Cat();
13. c.meow();
14. c.eat();
15. Dog d=new Dog();
16. d.bark();
17. d.eat();
18. }}
 Q) Why multiple inheritance is not
supported in java?
To reduce the complexity and simplify the language,
multiple inheritance is not supported in java.
Consider a scenario where A, B, and C are three
classes. The C class inherits A and B classes. If A and
B classes have the same method and you call it from
child class object, there will be ambiguity to call the
method of A or B class.
Since compile-time errors are better than runtime
errors, Java renders compile-time error if you inherit 2
classes. So whether you have same method or
different, there will be compile time error.
1. class A{
2. void msg(){System.out.println("Hello");}
3. }
4. class B{
5. void msg(){System.out.println("Welcome");}
6. }
7. class C extends A,B{//suppose if it were
8.
9. public static void main(String args[]){
10. C obj=new C();
11. obj.msg();//Now which msg() method would be invo
ked?
12. }
13. }
Test it Now
Compile Time Error
hybrid inheritance in java
A hybrid inheritance is a combination of more than
one types of inheritance. For example when class A and B
extends class C & another class D extends class A then
this is a hybrid inheritance, because it is a combination of
single and hierarchical inheritance. Let me show you this
diagrammatically:
C
↑
|
---------------
↑ ↑
| |
A B
↑
|
D
Class A and B extends class C → Hierarchical inheritance
Class D extends class A → Single inheritance
class C
{
public void disp()
{
System.out.println("Method of class C");
}
}

class A extends C
{
public void disp()
{
 System.out.println("Method of class A");
}
}

class B extends C
{
public void disp()
{
System.out.println("Method of class B");
}

class D extends A
{
public void disp()
{
System.out.println("Method of class D");
}
public static void main(String args[]){

D obj = new D();

obj.disp();
}
}