Testing private methods using Reflection API

[praveen Shangunathan]

Ranchers,
I have tested private methods using reflection API.
Now I want to test a private method which inturens calls another private method.
Sure enough I get InvocationTargetException when I try to run this test.

for example,

    
	private methods A(){
		// do something,
		call privateMethodB();
		// do something
	}
	
	private methodB(){
		//do something
	}

in the above ex. i can run tests on privateMethodB(), but not on privateMethodA().
SO what do I do using reflection to test privateMethodA() ?

suggestions please...

[Gamini Sirisena]

Isn't it that your method is throwing an Exception? Did you call getCause on the InvocationTargetException to see what the wrapped Exception is?

[praveen Shangunathan]

the JUnit test throws an InvocationTargetException. this is because from the JUnit using reflection I call methodA. but since methodA calls methodB and that is private as well, an exception is thrown.

[Gamini Sirisena]

Have a look here

Call the getCause method and check the stack trace on the returned Throwable. It should give the cause as to why the InvocationTargetException was thrown.

[praveen Shangunathan]

the InvocationTargetException is thrown because i do not have permission to access privaMethodB when i am running private MehodA.
I wasnt o know how to avoid it.

[Ulf Dittmer]

See here for a discussion on how to access private fields/methods using reflection.

[praveen Shangunathan]

thanks Ulf and Sirisena.