def sample(a:Column,b:Column):Column={ var c:Column=null ;c=a*(1-b);c} error: overloaded method value + with alternatives cannot be applied to (org.apache.spark.sql.Column)

chiranjeevivenk — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 06:47:59 GMT

Hi! I'm trying to define a Scala function in Apache Spark that performs some column arithmetic, but I am running into a compilation error.

Here is my code:

Scala 

def sample(a: Column, b: Column): Column = { 
  var c: Column = null
  c = a * (1 - b)
  c
}

When I try to use this, I get the following error message:

error: overloaded method value + with alternatives cannot be applied to (org.apache.spark.sql.Column)

How can I fix this arithmetic expression so it works with Spark Column objects?

Re: def sample(a:Column,b:Column):Column={ var c:Column=null ;c=a*(1-b);c} error: overloaded method value + with alternatives cannot be applied to (org.apache.spark.sql.Column)

chiranjeevivenk — Wed, 15 May 2019 21:54:43 GMT