protected and anynomous class

[Bin Wang]

Assume we have the following code in the file abc/Q.java:
// File: abc/Q.java
package abc;
public class Q {
protected int protectedVar;
}
and this code is in the default package:
// File: Tester.java
import abc.Q;
public class Tester {
private Q q = new Q() {
void someMethod() {
protectedVar = 1; // will this compile?
}
};
}
Determine whether or not the assignment statement in Tester will compile successfully. Assume the directory, /abc, is in the compiler's CLASSPATH.
The program does compile. But my question is: although you can assign the protected variable (protectedVar) within the anonymous class, there is no way to retrieve it within the Tester class, is that right?

[Ranjan Chaudhuri]

Not sure what you mean. If you added a method to the Tester
class, you could retrieve the relevant variable, e.g.
---------------------
void changeVal() {
q.protectedVar = 2;
}
----------------------
That would change the value of that variable, because it was declared in class Q, and q has access to it.
There's no way to call someMethod() though, I don't think, because you can't cast q to the anonymous class.
Not sure what your question is, so sorry if I'm failing to address it.

[Bin Wang]

Ranjan,
I add the following method in Tester class:
void changeVal() {
q.protectedVar = 2;
}
and got the compile error: Variable protectedVar in abc.Q not accessible from class Tester.
I think that's my point.

[Ranjan Chaudhuri]

Bin, you're right. I didn't look at it too carefully. The classes are in different packages. The import statement gives access to the name of the class but not its contents. Sorry.
If the classes were in the same package (directory), then it would work as I was suggesting.
It's a good question.