CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javaclassabstract
Kevin Bigay
Kevin Bigay

Reputation: 11

error in set and get methods

i am a 1st year IT Student taking OOP...

i have this abstract parent Class...

public abstract class Person{
private String Name;

protected Person(){
    setName("xxxxxxxx");
}

public abstract String getName();
public abstract void setName(String name);

}

and this is its child class...

public class PetOwner extends Person{
private boolean hasKids;
private boolean hasAllergies;

public PetOwner(){
       setName("xxxx");
       setAllergies(true);
       setKids(true);
}

public PetOwner(String name, boolean a, boolean k){
    setName(name);
    setKids(k);
    setAllergies(a);
}

public String getName(){return Name;}
public void setName(String n){ Name = n;}

public boolean getAllergies(){return hasAllergies;}
public void setAllergies(boolean a){hasAllergies = a;}

public boolean getKids(){return hasKids;}
public boolean setKids(boolean k){hasKids = k;}

}

when i compile the child class it has errors that the "Name" is a private variable of Person.

my question is how can i access the private variables of the parent class in my child class by not changing it to public or protected??

Upvotes: 1

Views: 897

Answers (2)

Abubakr Dar
Abubakr Dar

Reputation: 4078

  1. Don't define your name setters and getters as abstract if you dont want to change "String Name" access modifier to public or protected. Do this:
public String getName(){return Name;} 
public void setName(String name){Name = name;}
  1. In your child class; Do this:
public String getName(){return super.getName();}
public void setName(String n){ super.setName(n);}

On Another Note: You're not assigning value to Name in your super class constructor. Write Name = xxxx instead because you are calling a setter that is abstract!

Upvotes: 2

Jean-Baptiste Yunès
Jean-Baptiste Yunès

Reputation: 36431

private members are private to the entity they are defined in. protected are private to the entity they are defined and to their subclasses. public means no protection/accessible everywhere.

Roughly, if you define an attribute in a given entity then almost all the management of it should be defined at the same place. It means that if a Person has a name then the method setName and getName should be defined in Person. They could be redefined in subclasses but they should at least be defined in Person.

Think about it: why would you like (in common cases) every PetOwner or ClergyMan to define setName? They will probably both do exactly the same; so factoring the definition in Person is the right way.

Upvotes: 0

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