How to call "super.super.methodName()"

[Daniel Kaczmarek]

Piece of code:

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

class B extends A {
public void go() {
System.out.println("B");
}
}

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

public void call() {
...
}
}

public class Program {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new C().call();
}
}

Task:

fill the call method in C class so that the output was "A".

So the question is how can I call a method from "super.super" class?
Is this possible?

[Campbell Ritchie]

No.

There is no way you can call the superclass's superclass. Actually if you have

public class C extends B . . .

and

public class B extends A . . .

that implies that a "C" IS-A "B"; if you try to call the method from "A" then your "C" object NO-LONGER-IS-An "A". So you are breaching the conventions of inheritance. If you search, you will find old threads about the same topic; similar questions come up about every two months.

And welcome to JavaRanch

And I won't tell you how you can cheat with a classcast.

[Daniel Kaczmarek]

Could you explain what you mean /if you try to call the method from "A" then your "C" object NO-LONGER-IS-An "A". So you are breaching the conventions of inheritance/ ?

If "C" IS-A "B", and "B" IS-A "A" then "C" IS-A "A".

After all I can call super.go() from "C" (prints "B"), super.go() from "B" (prints "A")...

[Muhammad Khojaye]

Could you explain what you mean

see here. It will help you.

[Adam Michalik]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:if you try to call the method from "A" then your "C" object NO-LONGER-IS-An "A".
And I won't tell you how you can cheat with a classcast.

I believe you meant NO-LONGER-IS-An "B"? Because it's B one would be skipping. And I hope that the strike means "Don't even try to read it" - class casting won't help as the inherited methods are invoked virtually, so anyway the method closest in the class hierarchy would be selected.

[Daniel Kaczmarek]

class casting won't help as the inherited methods are invoked virtually, so anyway the method closest in the class hierarchy would be selected.

That's right, classcast won't help. ((A)this).go() neither.

Thanks for the replies.

[Campbell Ritchie]

Yes, you are right. It was NO-LONGER-IS-A "B". Sorry.

[Campbell Ritchie]

And I tried the cast like that, and got a StackOverflowError, so there must be some recursion going on.

[Daniel Kaczmarek]

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

class B extends A {
	public void go() {
		System.out.println("B");
	}
}

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

	public void call() {
		((A)this).go();
	}
}

public class Program {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		new C().call();
	}
} 

And I tried the cast like that, and got a StackOverflowError, so there must be some recursion going on.

I don't get any Exception. The code is correct and prints "C", as "this" is an object of "C" class and classcasting won't change anything.