Question regarding overriding and overloading static methods

Question

Hi I like to know regarding static method

1. Why static methods can not be overridden in java?
2. Can static methods can be overloaded in java?

Thanks

Answer 1

Static methods cannot be overridden because they are not dispatched on the object instance at runtime. The compiler decides which method gets called.

This is why you get a compiler warning when you write

 MyClass myObject = new MyClass();
 myObject.myStaticMethod();
 // should be written as
 MyClass.myStaticMethod()
 // because it is not dispatched on myObject
 myObject = new MySubClass();
 myObject.myStaticMethod(); 
 // still calls the static method in MyClass, NOT in MySubClass

Static methods can be overloaded (meaning that you can have the same method name for several methods as long as they have different parameter types).

 Integer.parseInt("10");
 Integer.parseInt("AA", 16);

Answer 2

Static methods can not be overridden because there is nothing to override, as they would be two different methods. For example

static class Class1 {
    public static int Method1(){
          return 0;
    }
}
static class Class2 extends Class1 {
    public static int Method1(){
          return 1;
    }

}
public static class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args){
          //Must explicitly chose Method1 from Class1 or Class2
          Class1.Method1();
          Class2.Method1();
    }
}

And yes static methods can be overloaded just like any other method.