doubt in access modifier. Please explain this code

[Nik Arora]

Hi All,
package certification;
public class Parent{
protected int x=9;
}

package other;
import certification.Parent;
class Child extends Parent {
public void testIt(){
Parent p=new Parent();
System.out.println("X in parent is" + p.x);
}
}

In the above mentioned code since the child class is in different package and creating a instance of superclass and accessing its protected member from an instance its a compiler error but in the below mentioned code if it accessed in the same way in the same package it works. Can anybody explain why it happens like this. Why it works in the same package but not in the different package.

"Code in the same package"

package certification;
public class Parent{
protected int x=9;
}

class Child extends Parent {
public void testIt(){
Parent p=new Parent();
System.out.println("X in parent is" + p.x);
}
}

Thanks All

[Chandra Bhatt]

Hi Nikhil,

 package certification;
public class Parent{
protected int x=9;
}
 
package other;
import certification.Parent;
class Child extends Parent {
public void testIt(){
Parent p=new Parent();
System.out.println("X in parent is" + p.x);
}
}

1- A member variable marked protected can only be accessed in the same package. And it can be accessed by the subclass (in the different package) without dot (.) operator after Parent class reference variable.
You are trying to access the protected member of the Parent class in the Child class that is in the different package using the Parent class reference variable hence compiler error.

See the code below, how you can access x of the Parent class

package other;
import certification.Parent;
class Child extends Parent {
public void testIt(){
System.out.println("X in parent is" + x);
 
Child child = new Child();
System.out.println("x of the child = " child.x);
}

Didn't you come back to this post
doubt in static method

Regards,
cmbhatt
[ April 29, 2007: Message edited by: Chandra Bhatt ]

[Nik Arora]

I have one doubt when it is accessed with "."(dot) operator in the differnt package in a subclass it gives compiler error but if it is accessed in the same package in a subclass it does not give a compiler erroe. Why?

[Chandra Bhatt]

Originally posted by nik arora:
I have one doubt when it is accessed with "."(dot) operator in the differnt package in a subclass it gives compiler error but if it is accessed in the same package in a subclass it does not give a compiler erroe. Why?

That is what protected access means!

You want to allow other packages subclass to see your protected members through inheritance only, not through reference variable of that class.

Until the member variable is private, classes, subclass of the same package can access that using "." operator, no issue.



cmbhatt

[Nik Arora]

Thanks chandra bye