Access Specifier

[Udegbunam Morah]

Look at the code listing below:

  
package example.A;
 
import example.B.*;
 
class Class1 extends Class2
{
public static void main(String args[])
{
Class2 obj = new Class2();
System.out.println(obj.x);
}
 
}
 

And this:

  
package example.B;
 
public class Class2
{
protected int x = 6;
 
}

On compilation, I got the following result:

  
C:\nasrd\pack_test>javac -d . Class1.java
Class1.java:10: x has protected access in example.B.Class2
                System.out.println(obj.x);
                                      ^
1 error
 

I will appreciate any suggestion please. Thanks.

[vinuharan haran]

replace obj.x with x in println statement.
The code will compile fine.

[Rahul Bhosale]

  
replace obj.x with x in println statement.
The code will compile fine.

How can you access non-static members from a static method?

I guess the anwer to that question is, the member of class Class2 is being accessed in violation of protected access.
If you did this it will compile and run fine.

  
Class1 obj = new Class1();
obj.x //should now be accessible

[vinuharan haran]

oops..sorry

[vinuharan haran]

what i meant to say is...inorder to access a variable declared protected in superclass(say in a package different from the one in which sub class is defined), it can be done thru its simple name(provided there is no hiding) or thru its subclassinstance.variable.
Definitely the simple name cannot be used in static context.
once again i apologise...

[M Rama]

K&B says the following:

For subclasses outside the package, the protected member can be accessed
only through inheritance; a subclass outside the package cannot access a
protected member by using a reference to an instance of the superclass (in
other words, inheritance is the only mechanism for a subclass outside the
package to access a protected member of its superclass).

[Udegbunam Morah]

Originally posted by M Rama:
K&B says the following:

For subclasses outside the package, the protected member can be accessed
only through inheritance; a subclass outside the package cannot access a
protected member by using a reference to an instance of the superclass (in
other words, inheritance is the only mechanism for a subclass outside the
package to access a protected member of its superclass).

Thanks Rama. That is exactly what I am looking for. Good research skills there. Thanks to everyone who participated in the explanation too. Thanks a lot.