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Thread: Cannot find methods in a subclass

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    Default Cannot find methods in a subclass

    Hello, I'm new to programming and am currently exploring the world of OOP.
    However I've come across a problem, I've got a superclass called Object, all of the game objects will extend this Class.
    In the Object class, I've got a few variables and methods wich are working fine.

    So I create a player object:
    Object player = new Player(100, 100); //100, 100 are the x & y variables

    In the Player class I've got an method that is not in the superclass (Object.java).
    When I try to call this method (from another class in the same package) it cannot find the method. It can find all the methods in the superclass, and if I add it to the superclass and then override it in the subclass it works as it should work.
    However I find this very 'clumsy'.

    So to put my question in one sentence:
    "How can I call a method from a subclass that is not in the superclass?"
    I hope that somebody can explain it, or point me in the right direction.

    Thanks in advance,
    Dirk.


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    Default Re: Cannot find methods in a subclass

    You almost definitely don't want to call that class Object. Object is already a fundamental class in Java, as every other Object extends it, and overlapping names can lead to much confusion.

    If you want help, please provide an SSCCE that demonstrates the problem.
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    Default Re: Cannot find methods in a subclass

    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk94 View Post
    "How can I call a method from a subclass that is not in the superclass?"
    NO, you can't do that, unless the object you are working on is an instance of the subclass. In that case, you need to cast the object to be type of subclass. For example:

        Super super = new Sub();
        super.invokeAmethodFromSubClass();   // COMPILE ERROR!
        ((Sub) super).invokeAmethodFromSubClass();  // OK

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Bob_Sadarka For This Useful Post:

    Dirk94 (March 24th, 2012)

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