Why can't I reach the protected member ?

Code:

---

package myPackage1;

public class Human
{
        int defaultaccess;       
        public int publicaccess;
        protected int protectedaccess;
        private int privateaccess;
}

---

Code:

---

package myPackage2;

import myPackage1.Human;

public class testc extends Human
{
        public static void main(String[] args)
        {
                Human Norm = new Human();
                Norm.protectedaccess = 4;
        }
}

---

Eclipse is telling me to change visibility of protectedaccess to protected. But it is protected already. What am I doing wrong ?

When I force Eclipse to compile and run:

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.Error: Unresolved compilation problem:
The field Human.protectedaccess is not visible

at myPackage2.testc.main(testc.java:10)

When I do this:

Code:

---

        public static void main(String[] args)
        {
                testc Norm = new testc();
                Norm.protectedaccess = 4;
        }

---

It seems to work fine. But what am I doing wrong when I go with Human norm = new Human() ?

Why can't I reach the protected member by that way ?

Protected modifier only allows package and subclass access.
See Controlling Access to Members of a Class (The Java™ Tutorials > Learning the Java Language > Classes and Objects)

How does that answer my question ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fatabass

How does that answer my question ?

---

Are you serious? It provides the direct answer to your question. Please review the link provided by doWhile.

My testcc class extends the Human class. ( Which is in a different package. )

It has a private int privateaccess.

When I create a Human object in testcc class, I cant access this private int privateaccess.

When I create a tetscc object, then I can access private int privateaccess.

Why ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fatabass

How does that answer my question ?

---

Seriously? You've given a variable protected access...meaning its visibility is limited. Think about it.

My question is:

Why can't I reach it, when I create a Human object ( of type Human ), in a class which extends the Human class ?

Private is private on a class level; if class D extends a class B, no object of class D can access a private member of any object from class B; this, of course hasn't much to do with proteced access which is clearly descrbed in the link supplied to you (see above).

kind regards,

Jos

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fatabass

My question is:

Why can I reach it, when I create a Human object ( of type Human ), in a class which extends the Human class ?

---

With the speed in which you are replying, I am under the impression you did not read the link I gave you above. You cannot access a protected variable outside of the package or a subclass.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by doWhile

With the speed in which you are replying, I am under the impression you did not read the link I gave you above. You cannot access a protected variable outside of the package or a subclass.

---

This I understand clearly.

Ok, I am outside the package, but my question is: I am in a Subclass ?

my testcc class extends the Human class.
and in this sub - class, I have ( Human Norm = new Human();)

Why cant I say Norm.protectedaccess ?

but why am I allowed to say:

testcc Norm = new testcc();
Norm.protectedaccess ?

What is the difference ?

See the following section of the Java spec, which addresses this point:
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/t...mes.html#6.6.7