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From: =?UTF-8?Q?Arne_Vajh=c3=b8j?= <arne@vajhoej.dk>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Overloading methods question
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2018 18:56:51 -0400
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Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.java.programmer:38647

On 10/24/2018 5:04 PM, Rhino wrote:
> Is it better to overload a single method name several times or to create 
> uniquely-named methods to accomplish similar work?

> It seems reasonable to me that I might at some point need to know the 
> name of the current month:
> - in either short or long version - i.e. "Oct" or "October"
> - in the local timezone or a different one (after all, while it may be 
> late in the day on Oct 31 in my timezone, it may already be early Nov 1 
> a few timezones away)
> 
> APPROACH 1:
> I could have several overloaded versions of a single method. For instance:
> - getCurrentMonthName(boolean fullMonthName) and assume local time zone
> - getCurrentMonthName(ZoneId zoneId) and assume full month name
> - getCurrentMonthName(boolean fullMonthName, ZoneId zoneId) and assume 
> nothing
> - getCurrentMonthName() and assume local time zone and full month name
> 
> APPROACH 2:
> Or I could do this:
> - getCurrentMonthNameLocal(boolean fullMonthName) and assume local time 
> zone
> - getCurrentMonthNameRemote(boolean fullMonthName, ZoneId zoneId)
>   and assume nothing
> 
> APPROACH 3:
> I could even do this:
> - getCurrentMonthNameFullLocal() and assume local time zone
> - getCurrentMonthNameShortLocal() and assume local time zone
> - getCurrentMonthNameFullRemote(ZoneId zoneId) and use specified time zone
> - getCurrentMonthNameShortRemote(ZoneId zoneId) and use specified time zone
> 
> APPROACH 4:
> Or I could reduce the number of methods I need by having only this:
> - getCurrentMonthName(boolean fullMonthName, ZoneId) which would force 
> users to supply a value for the boolean and the zoneId every time even 
> if they wanted the local time zone
> 
> Which is the best design and, most importantly, WHY? I expect there is a 
> basic design precept somewhere that helps a developer decide which is 
> the best way to go in circumstances like these. It would be helpful to 
> learn (or rediscover) this principle.

I would go for approach #5:

getCurrentMonth(boolean fullMonthName)
getCurrentMonth(boolean fullMonthName, ZoneId zoneId)

My logic:
* I expect the method name in a get to explain what it is getting
   and any arguments to qualify how it should be getting it and
   that points to #2 and
* and ZoneId is sufficient rare to warrant a default value and
   since Java does not have defaults that means an overload

Arne