Question

I am fairly new to java development and wounder how I can modify an existing Android class. I would like to change some of the methods in Notification.Builder class in Android (https://github.com/android/platform_frameworks_base/blob/master/core/java/android/app/Notification.java).

Specifically do I want to change getNotification(), but in the new implementation I need access to the private fields (e.g., mWhen, mSmallIcon).

I have tried to extend the class, but then I don’t have access to the private fields of the superclass (i.e., mWhen, mSmallIcon).

What is the best practice to change the method, is it to copy the source code and modify it?

Update:
To be more precise: how can I change a single method in an existing class and still have access to the private fields of the existing class?

Thanks for all responses!

Answer 1

You could simply call super.getNotification() in your overriden method and modify the resulting object before returning it.