A function is a named unit of a group of program statements that can be invoked from other parts of the program. Function helps reduce…
Function Overloading in C/Cpp1 min read
Posted On July 23, 2019
Function overloading is a c++ programming feature that allows us to have more than one function having same name but different parameter list, when I say parameter list, it means the data type and sequence of the parameters.
For example the parameters list of a function myfun(int a, float b) is (int, float) which is different from the function myfun(float a, int b) parameter list (float, int).
Function overloading is a compile-time polymorphism.
Example:
#include<iostream.h> void display(int a); void display(float b); void display(int a, float b); void main() { int a= 5; float b=5.5; display(a); display(b); display(a,b); } void display(int a) { cout<<”Integer number:”<<a; } void display(int b) { cout<<”Float number:”<<b; } void display(int a, int b) { cout<<”Integer number:”<<a<<”and float number:”<<b; }
Output
Integer number:5 Float number:5.5 Integer number:5 and float number:5.5
Advantage of function overloading
- It speeds up the execution of programs.
- The use of function overloading is to save
the memory space, consistency, and readability. - Function overloading exhibits the behavior of polymorphism which helps to get different behavior, although there will be some link using
same name offunction . - Function overloading is done for code re-usability, to save efforts, and also to save memory.
- Code Maintenance is easy.
Disadvantage of function overloading
- Function declarations that differ only in the return type cannot be overloaded.
- Member function declarations with the same name and the same parameter types cannot be overloaded if any of them is static member function declaration.
