answersLogoWhite

0

What is function overloading?

Updated: 8/9/2023
User Avatar

Wiki User

8y ago

Best Answer

FUNCTION OVERLOADING:

- when we define two functions with same name,in same class(may be) distinguished by their signatures

- resolved at compile time

- same method bt different parameters in each of them

FUNCTION OVERRIDING:

- when we redifine a function which is already defined in parent class

- resolved at run time

- changing the existing method

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

Overloading a function is when you define a different function, identified only by differences on class affiliation or argument list, that does something different. Philosophically, you should do something similar, but that is not a constraint; it is only a recommendation from the point of view of sane code design.

An example might be a function that computes the area. The area of a circle is different from the area of a square, but the idea is the same. If you had a class shape, for example, you could have a virtual method area, and then derive the class for the sub class circle and square, overriding the area function in each case.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

Actually, overloading and polymorphism are two different things.

Overloading is when two different functions of the same name but of different parameter types co-exist. The compiler determines which to call by looking at the match between parameter types. An example might be a sin function taking a parameter of type float versus an overloaded version taking a parameter of type long double. In the first case, only a few terms of the taylor's series is needed for reasonable precision; in the second case, you need more than that.

Polymorphism, on the other hand, is when the class type of the function is known only by virtue of a pointer to a class of that class, typically a pointer that is declared to hold a pointer to the base class but, at run-time, assigned to hold a pointer to one or the other of two derived child classes. An example might be an area function that computes the area of a shape, that might be derived to be a circle, a square, an ellipse, etc.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

Overloading is simply a means by which two or more functions within the same namespace can share the same name. The compiler differentiates functions with the same name by the number and type of arguments they accept, thus overloading does not "occur" as such. Your IDE's "intellisense" may offer you a list of overloads that are available for a given function name, but once you supply the required function signature within your source, all ambiguity is removed. Once your program is compiled, there is no concept of overloading because function names do not exist in machine code, only function addresses -- and every function has its own unique address. If you attempt to call an overload that does not exist, or you attempt to create an ambiguous overload (a function with the same intrinsic signature as an existing function with the same name), then the program simply will not compile. Thus function overloading can be said to "occur" during compilation in order to verify that all function calls and overloaded signatures are fully unambiguous.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

A function is overloaded when the same function name is used for two or more separate functions within the same namespace. Each function must have an unique signature in order for the compiler to differentiate them. A function signature is determined by the name of the function and the number and type of arguments it accepts. The return value is not part of the signature. When you call an overloaded function, the number and type of arguments you pass to the function determines which overload will be called. If there is no matching signature, a compile-time error occurs.

Overloaded functions are useful when the same function needs to provide different implementations depending on the number and type of arguments passed. However, when the implementations are exactly the same and the only difference is the type of argument, we can use template functions to generate the overloads for us. That is, the compiler examines each call to the function and generates a new overload for each unique type we pass, using the function's template parameter(s) to generate the actual signature and implementation. However this can only be done when the implementation is exactly the same regardless of type.

The following max function is a typical example of a function that can be overloaded via template functions:

template<typename T>

T max(T& a, T& b) { return b<a?a:b; }

Thus if we call the function with integrals and chars, the following overloads will be generated for us, substituting the template parameter T for the actual type:

int max(int& a, int& b) { return b<a?a:b; }

char max(char& a, char& b) { return b<a?a:b; }

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

8y ago

Function overloading is a means of providing alternative implementations of the same function according to the number and type of argument passed to it.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: What is function overloading?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Engineering

What is function overloading in c language of computer?

There is no such thing as function overloading in C; that is a feature of C++. Function overloading allows us to provide two or more implementations of the same function. Typically, we use function overloading so that the same function can cater for different types. For instance, we might provide one implementation that is optimised to handle an integer argument while another is optimised to handle a real argument. We can also use function overloading to provide a common implementation of a function which can then be invoked by overloads that handle the low-level type conversions.


How operator overloading differ from function overloading?

Function overloading is multiple definition with different signatures(the parameters should be different) for the same function. The parameter list have to be different in each definition. The compiler will not accept if the return type alone is changed. Operator overloading is defining a function for a particular operator. The operator loading function can not be overloaded through function overloading.


What are the similarities between constructor overloading and function overloading?

The only similarity is that both constructor and function overloads are distinguished by their signature -- the number and type of their arguments. Functions differ in that they also have a return type, which is also part of the signature, whereas constructors have no return type, not even void.


When to create a template function?

A template function is used when you want to write some kind of function that can be applied to different data types. It is a form of overloading, but you don't have to actually write all of the overloaded variants.


Rules for function overloading?

It's a way by which you use define the same function for different input types. For example, think about the the operator "+" which in java works for adding integers, floating point numbers and even string concatenation. The way such functionality is achieved is by overloading.

Related questions

define function overloading?

Defining several functions with the same name with unique list of parameters is called as function overloading.


Is it possible to do operator overloading in c?

No. Operator and/or function overloading is only a C++ thing.


What is function overloading in c language of computer?

There is no such thing as function overloading in C; that is a feature of C++. Function overloading allows us to provide two or more implementations of the same function. Typically, we use function overloading so that the same function can cater for different types. For instance, we might provide one implementation that is optimised to handle an integer argument while another is optimised to handle a real argument. We can also use function overloading to provide a common implementation of a function which can then be invoked by overloads that handle the low-level type conversions.


How operator overloading differ from function overloading?

Function overloading is multiple definition with different signatures(the parameters should be different) for the same function. The parameter list have to be different in each definition. The compiler will not accept if the return type alone is changed. Operator overloading is defining a function for a particular operator. The operator loading function can not be overloaded through function overloading.


How the compiler compiles overloaded method?

method overloading occurs when we use two functions or more with the same name.In function overloading compiler detect which method is call actually throw the parameters passed to the methods.In function overloading parameters of functions are different.


What is an operator overloading in C?

one function but multiple behaviours depending on the parameters


What is the c plus plus program to calculate the area of a circle using function overloading?

Function overloading is used when you want to re-use the same function name with different argument types or a different number of arguments. Calculating the area of a circle isn't the sort of function that requires overloading since the only argument you need is the radius. double area_of_circle (const double radius) { const double pi=4*atan(1); return pi*radius*radius; }


What are the similarities between constructor overloading and function overloading?

The only similarity is that both constructor and function overloads are distinguished by their signature -- the number and type of their arguments. Functions differ in that they also have a return type, which is also part of the signature, whereas constructors have no return type, not even void.


When to create a template function?

A template function is used when you want to write some kind of function that can be applied to different data types. It is a form of overloading, but you don't have to actually write all of the overloaded variants.


Rules for function overloading?

It's a way by which you use define the same function for different input types. For example, think about the the operator "+" which in java works for adding integers, floating point numbers and even string concatenation. The way such functionality is achieved is by overloading.


What is overloading and overriding in PHP?

Overcrowding of Functions: The same function has the same name in function overloading, but it does different things depending on how many arguments it has. For instance, if the radius is given, it should return the area of the circle; if the height and width are given, it should return the area of the rectangle, among other shapes. Function overloading cannot be accomplished using a native approach, as with other OOP languages. The magic function __call() is used to perform function overloading in PHP. Name and arguments for this function are accepted. Function overriding: Function overrides are similar to those used in other OOP programming languages. Function overriding should use the same name and number of arguments for both parent and child classes. In child classes, it takes the place of the parent method. Overriding is used to alter the parent class method's behavior. Overriding refers to two methods that share the same name and parameter. Visit now for more information- jai infoway


Why do you use of operator overloading in c?

Overloading, Overriding, Polymorphism, Information Hiding, Inheritance all these are CONCEPTS of C++ and Java. An Object Oriented Language and not of C language. Thats why Bjarne Stroustrup came up with C++ ...