Method overload selection with null

Question

Given this code:

class Overloading
extends Object
{

static public void target(Object val, String chk) { System.out.println(\"Object[\"+val+\"] :: Should be          


        

Answer 1

Java has always worked the same way: the "most specific" applicable overload is always chosen. Since String is a subclass of Object, it is "more specific", and the String overload is chosen. If the overloads were for, say String and Integer, and you tried to pass null, then you would indeed get a compile-time ambiguity error, since they are both at the same level of the same inheritance hierarchy.