Inner Class question..

[Paul Somnath]

Here is some Code:

public class MyOuter
{
private int x = 7;
public static void main(String[] args)
{
MyOuter outer = new MyOuter();
outer.outerFunc();
}
public void outerFunc()
{
System.out.println("Printing Outer Variable from Outer: " + x);
[B]MyOuter.MyInner inner = new MyOuter().new MyInner();[/B]inner.seeOuter();
MyOuter.MyInner.MyInner2 inner2 = new MyOuter().new MyInner().new MyInner2();
inner2.seeOuter2();
}
}
class MyInner
{
private int x = 9;
public void seeOuter()
{
System.out.println("Printing Outer Variable from Inner: " + x);
//System.out.println("Inner Variable: " + );
}

class MyInner2
{
private int x = 8;
public void seeOuter2()
{
System.out.println("Printing Outer Variable from Inner2: " + x);
//System.out.println("Inner variable: " + MyOuter.MyInner.y);
}
}
}

My question is that when I put the Class : MyInner in another file in the same package, then why doesnt it get recognized in the Class MyOuter? I have made the font bold where it throws error.
[ August 14, 2008: Message edited by: Somnath Paul ]

[Seetharaman Venkatasamy]

you can not create instance of innerclass from different class(other than outer class)

[Paul Somnath]

Originally posted by seetharaman venkatasamy:
you can not create instance of innerclass from different class(other than outer class)

But I am creating the instance of inner class in the MyOuter only !

public class MyOuter
{
private int x = 7;
public static void main(String[] args)
{
MyOuter outer = new MyOuter();
outer.outerFunc();
}
public void outerFunc()
{
System.out.println("Printing Outer Variable from Outer: " + x);
MyOuter.MyInner inner = new MyOuter().new MyInner();
inner.seeOuter();
MyOuter.MyInner.MyInner2 inner2 = new MyOuter().new MyInner().new MyInner2();
inner2.seeOuter2();
}
}

And since the access is default package, it should recognize the inner class..
Am I wrong? Please correct me if I am, I am very new to Java.

[ August 14, 2008: Message edited by: Somnath Paul ]
[ August 14, 2008: Message edited by: Somnath Paul ]

[Richard Bradford]

Once you move the MyInner class to another file it is no longer an inner class of MyOuter. You would have to use it like so:

  
MyInner inner = new MyInner();
inner.seeOuter();
MyInner.MyInner2 inner2 = new MyInner().new MyInner2();

[Rob Spoor]

Originally posted by seetharaman venkatasamy:
you can not create instance of innerclass from different class(other than outer class)

Yes you can, as long as a) it's visible, and b) you have a reference to an enclosing outer class.

Somnath,

the problem in your code is that MyInner is NOT an inner class - it's a toplevel class instead. If you want it to be an inner class, you should put the entire class definition inside the class definition of MyOuter. Basically, just move the last } of your outer class to after the inner class (and then fix indentation).

You might want to know that, from an inner class, you can get a reference to its outer class by calling MyOuter.this
[ August 14, 2008: Message edited by: Rob Prime ]