CODEWITHSUNDEEP
java
Ming-Tang
Ming-Tang

Reputation: 17651

Java Object superclass

I have a weird Java question:

As we know:

  1. All Java classes extend java.lang.Object
  2. All Java classes cannot extend itself

Then, java.lang.Object must extend java.lang.Object, which is itself, therefore, it should be impossible. How is Object implemented in Java?

Upvotes: 14

Views: 5512

Answers (3)

Tim Perry
Tim Perry

Reputation: 3096

You'd be better off thinking of this as:

  1. All java classes must implement the interface implied by the methods in java.lang.Object.
  2. The concrete class java.lang.Object provides default implementations of these functions.
  3. All other java classes are derived from the object java.lang.Object and may choose to use or override the default implementations of the methods.

The two main points are: all the classes must implement the implied interface and the Java language spec gives you (forces upon you?) default implementations for these methods for free.

Upvotes: 1

user2628
user2628

Reputation:

Object does not extend itself. It is the superclass for all other objects in the Java language. Think of it as being the level-0 (or root) class of all the objects in the Java API tree - including any objects you create as well.

I also just want to point out that your question is proven impossible by rule #2 that you posted. Your logic used to justify your question only takes #1 into account and is therefore extremely flawed.

Upvotes: 0

Michael Mrozek
Michael Mrozek

Reputation: 175365

Object is an exception to the first rule, and has no superclass. From JLS3 8.1.4:

The extends clause must not appear in the definition of the class Object, because it is the primordial class and has no direct superclass.

You can also try it out with reflection:

Object.class.getSuperclass(); // returns null

Upvotes: 20

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