why don't protected inner class compile?

[zhang feng]

i have a three .java files followed:

package myclass1;
interface Animal
{ void move();
  void eat();
  }
//////////////////
package myclass2;
import myclass1.Animal
public Dog
{  protected class WhiteDog implements Animal
   {  public move(){......}
      public eat(){......}
     }
   }
//////////////////
package myclass3;
import myclass2.Dog;
public LittleDog extends Dog
{ public WhiteDog fun()
  { return new WhiteDog();
    }
   public static void main(String[] arg)
   { fun().move();
     fun().eat();
     }
  }
///////////////////////////
  

when i compiling the LittleDog,show the WhiteDog() has protected access in the myclass2.Dog.WhiteDog
How can I access the WhiteDog in the LittleDog.java
[ June 11, 2003: Message edited by: zhang feng ]
[ June 11, 2003: Message edited by: zhang feng ]

[Michael Morris]

Hi zhang,
Welcome to JavaRanch. First off you had several other problems in your code. For your question, since you did not provide a public default constructor for WhiteDog, the compiler created a protected default constructor which is the access level of the enclosing class. LittleDog has no relationship to WhiteDog, so it can only access WhiteDog's public memebers. All you have to do to fix the problem is provide a default public constructor. I fixed some of your code here:
Animal.java

package myclass1;
public interface Animal{
    void move();
    void eat();
}

Dog.java

package myclass2;
import myclass1.Animal;
public class Dog {
    protected class WhiteDog implements Animal {
        public WhiteDog() {}
        public void move() {}
        public void eat() {}
    }
}

LittleDog.java

package myclass3;
import myclass2.Dog;
public class LittleDog extends Dog {
    public WhiteDog fun() {
        return new WhiteDog();
     }
     public static void main(String[] arg) {
         LittleDog dog = new LittleDog();
         dog.fun().move();
         dog.fun().eat();
     }
}

[zhang feng]

oh,it's running good ,thank you