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Confusing overloading of methods

ID: java/confusing-method-signature
Kind: problem
Security severity: 
Severity: recommendation
Precision: high
Tags:
   - maintainability
   - readability
   - naming
Query suites:
   - java-security-and-quality.qls

Click to see the query in the CodeQL repository

Overloaded method declarations that have the same number of parameters may be confusing if none of the corresponding pairs of parameter types is substantially different. A pair of parameter types A and B is substantially different if A cannot be cast to B and B cannot be cast to A. If the parameter types are not substantially different then the programmer may assume that the method with parameter type A is called when in fact the method with parameter type B is called.

Recommendation

It is generally best to avoid declaring overloaded methods with the same number of parameters, unless at least one of the corresponding parameter pairs is substantially different.

Example

Declaring overloaded methods process(Object obj) and process(String s) is confusing because the parameter types are not substantially different. It is clearer to declare methods with different names: processObject(Object obj) and processString(String s).

In contrast, declaring overloaded methods process(Object obj, String s) and process(String s, int i) is not as confusing because the second parameters of each method are substantially different.

References

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