CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javainheritanceprotected
rock
rock

Reputation: 113

What happens to protected method of a super class in base class in Java?

I have a A class in package1 and B is in package2 which inherits A. A contains method m1 which is protected. Now my doubt is when I create an object of B in another class C which is also package2, the object of B is unable to access method m1 why? Below is my code

package com.package1;

public class A {

    protected void m1(){
        System.out.println("I'm protectd method of A");
    }
}


package com.package2;

import com.package1.A;

public class B extends A {


    public static void main(String[] args) {

        B b = new B();
        b.m1();          // b object able to access m1

    }

}


package com.package2;

public class C {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        System.out.println("Hi hello");
        B b = new B();
        b.m1(); //The method m1() from the type A is not visible

    }

}

Do protected method of super class become private in subclass?

Upvotes: 5

Views: 15311

Answers (2)

Bibek Kshetri
Bibek Kshetri

Reputation: 9

the main thing the docs tells is the protected fields can only accessed from the package within or from the sublcass in another package. But it does not tell anything by the object anywhere else . Any object should invoke it from the package within or from the subclass in another package.

Upvotes: 0

Sumit Singh
Sumit Singh

Reputation: 15906

From JLS 6.6.2. Details on protected Access

A protected member or constructor of an object may be accessed from outside the package in which it is declared only by code that is responsible for the implementation of that object.

Let C be the class in which a protected member is declared. Access is permitted only within the body of a subclass S of C.

Means The protected modifier specifies that the member can only be accessed within its own package (as with package-private) and, in addition, by a subclass of its class in another package.

From Java Doc Controlling Access to Members of a Class
enter image description here

So you can access method m1 from class B even its not on same package because it subclass of A.
But you can't access method m1 from class C because neither its in same package as A nor its subclass of A.

So for accessing this method you can make method m1 public or move your class C into same package as class A

Upvotes: 8

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