what is need of declaring a method of a class (having default access) as public ?

[Prashanth Patha]

if we have a class as follows :

class A // default access
{

public void print() // public method
{
// some code
}

}

Here class A is having default access and the method print() of it is having public declaration. Is there any meaning to this?

[Darryl Burke]

The class can have a public subclass in the same package, and the inherited method can then be accessed from outside the package. Quick example (each class in its own file)

package a;

class A1 {

  public void print() {
    System.out.println("print() in A1");
  }
}

package a;

public class A2  extends A1{

}

package b;

import a.A2;

public class B1 {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    A2 a2 = new A2();
    a2.print();
  }
}

If the method is given default access (by removing the public keyword) that won't compile.

[Prashanth Patha]

Thank you...

you gave me a nice explanation.

[Rahul Sudip Bose]

Darryl Burke wrote:The class can ... won't compile.

Thanks for the nice explanation.