Overloading the Main Method in Java Explained

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Question:

Can the main method be overloaded in Java?

Answer:

Yes, the main method can be overloaded in Java. The main method is defined as:

public static void main(String[] args)

However, you can create additional methods with the same name main but with different parameter lists. This is known as method overloading. Here’s an example:

public class MainOverloading {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Main method with String array");
        main(5); // Calling the overloaded main method
    }

    // Overloaded main method
    public static void main(int number) {
        System.out.println("Overloaded main method with int: " + number);
    }

    // Another overloaded main method
    public static void main(String arg) {
        System.out.println("Overloaded main method with String: " + arg);
    }
}

In this example, there are three main methods: one that takes a String[] argument (the standard entry point for Java applications), one that takes an int, and one that takes a String.

When you run the program, the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) will always call the main method with the String[] parameter as the entry point. The other overloaded versions can be called from within the main method or from other methods in the class, but they will not be invoked by the JVM directly.

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