When does the compiler supply a default constructor for a class?

The compiler supplies a default constructor for a class if no other constructors are provided.

In Java, a default constructor is provided by the compiler under certain circumstances. The compiler automatically supplies a default constructor for a class under the following conditions:

  1. No Constructors Defined: If you haven’t defined any constructor for your class, the compiler will provide a default constructor. This is true even if you have other methods or fields in your class.

    Example:

    java
    public class MyClass {
    // No explicit constructor defined
    }

    The compiler will generate a default constructor equivalent to:

    java
    public class MyClass {
    public MyClass() {
    // Default constructor code
    }
    }
  2. No Explicit Call to Superclass Constructor: If your class extends another class, and you haven’t explicitly called a superclass constructor using super(...), and the superclass has a no-argument constructor, then the compiler will automatically provide a default constructor for your subclass.

    Example:

    java
    public class MySubclass extends MySuperclass {
    // No explicit constructor defined, and no call to super(...) constructor
    }

    The compiler will generate a default constructor equivalent to:

    java
    public class MySubclass extends MySuperclass {
    public MySubclass() {
    super(); // Implicit call to superclass's no-argument constructor
    // Default constructor code
    }
    }

It’s important to note that if you define any constructor (with or without arguments) explicitly in your class, the compiler won’t generate the default constructor. If you define a parameterized constructor and still want the default constructor, you’ll need to explicitly define it in your class.