access specifier protected

[Saurabh Naik]

package pack1;
class Animal
{
protected void printMe()
{
System.out.println("in Animal's printme method");
}
}

package pack2;
import pack1.Animal;

class Horse extends Animal
{
public static void main(String args[])
{
Animal a = new Animal();
a.printme();
}
}

it gives me the error for protected access specifier.
why it is so ? we can access data from different package with protected by extending class.. ???

[Milan Sutaria]

horse inherits animal members. if you wish to access these members in horse then you do so by inheritance only i.e this.printMe() [or anotherHorseReference.printMe()]. you cannot access them using animal reference i.e they way you did.
[ August 01, 2008: Message edited by: Milan Sutaria ]

[Mike Mitchell]

You can do so, but it must be from a child reference. class Animal need also be public.

    
francoeur:java mike$ cat pack2/Horse.java pack1/Animal.java 
package pack2;
import pack1.Animal;
 
class Horse extends Animal
{
public static void main(String args[])
{
//Animal a = new Animal();
//a.printme();
 
Horse h = new Horse();
h.printMe();
}
}
 
package pack1;
public class Animal
{
protected void printMe()
{
System.out.println("in Animal's printme method");
}
}
 
francoeur:java mike$ java -cp . pack2.Horse
in Animal's printme method
 

[Sandeep Bhandari]

Originally posted by Mike Mitchell:
class Animal need also be public.

That's what came to my mind before seeing that the method is protected.