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Protected Java (A Guide)

Protected Java

What is protected java?

“Protected Java” is a term that is not commonly used in the programming industry. In Java, the term “protected” is used to specify the accessibility of a class, method, or variable. When a class, method, or variable is declared as protected, it can be accessed within the same class and its subclasses, but not from any other class in the same package or from any class outside the package. The protected keyword in Java refers to one of its access modifiers. The methods or data members declared as protected can be accessed. Within the same class. Subclasses of the same packages. Different classes of the same packages.

The protected access modifier provides a level of access control that is more permissive than the default (package) level of access, but less permissive than the public level of access. It is useful in situations where you want to allow subclasses to access the member, but still, restrict access from other classes.

What Is A Protected Class Java?

In Java, a protected class is a class that has been declared with the protected access modifier. This means that the class can be accessed within the same package, as well as from subclasses of the class, even if they are in a different package. However, the protected class cannot be accessed from other classes in the same package or from classes outside the package.

The use of protected classes is not very common in Java, as they are less flexible than public classes, and the protected access level is usually sufficient for most use cases. However, there may be situations where a protected class is useful, such as when you want to restrict access to certain parts of your code.

What Is Protected vs Private Java?

In Java, private and protected are access modifiers used to control the visibility and accessibility of class members (such as fields and methods). The main difference between the two is the level of access they provide.

A private member can only be accessed within the same class in which it is declared. It cannot be accessed from outside the class, including subclasses and other classes in the same package.

A protected member, on the other hand, can be accessed within the same class and from subclasses of the class, even if they are in a different package. However, it cannot be accessed from other classes in the same package or from classes outside the package.

How To Access Protected Method Outside A Class In Java?

A protected method in Java can only be accessed within the same class and its subclasses, even if they are in a different package. Accessing a protected method from outside the class or from a non-subclass is not allowed and will result in a compile-time error.

One way to access a protected method from outside the class is by creating a subclass of the class that contains the protected method, and accessing the method from the subclass.

Another way to access a protected method from outside the class is to use reflection. Reflection allows you to inspect and manipulate the behavior of objects at runtime, including accessing protected members. However, it should be used with caution, as it can allow you to access members that are intended to be hidden, and can break encapsulation. 

When Should I Use Protected In Java?

The protected access modifier in Java is used to restrict the visibility of a class member (field or method) to the same class, its subclasses, and the classes within the same package.

You should use the protected access modifier in Java when you want to allow subclasses to access a class member, but restrict access to other classes outside the subclass hierarchy. This allows you to share information and behavior with subclasses while maintaining encapsulation and hiding the implementation details from other classes.

Here are some common scenarios where you might use the protected access modifier:

  1. Inheritance: When you want to allow a subclass to override or extend a method or field from its parent class, you can declare it as protected. This allows the subclass to access the method or field but restricts access to other classes.
  2. Encapsulation: When you want to hide the implementation details of a class from other classes, but still allow subclasses to access some of the details, you can use the protected access modifier. This allows you to maintain encapsulation, while still allowing subclasses to access certain members.
  3. Package visibility: When you want to allow classes within the same package to access a class member but restrict access to classes outside the package, you can use the protected access modifier. This provides a way to share information between classes within the same package, without allowing access to classes outside the package.

In general, you should use the protected access modifier sparingly, and only when you have a specific reason to share information or behavior with subclasses. In most cases, it is better to use the private access modifier, which restricts access to the same class, or the public access modifier, which allows access from any class.

Protected Class In Java Example

Here is an example of a protected class in Java:

In this example, the Parent class contains a protected inner class called ProtectedClass. The Subclass extends the Parent class, and can access the ProtectedClass from the Parent class. In the Subclass, the example method creates an instance of ProtectedClass and calls its example method. When you run the Main class, you will see the output: “This is a protected class”.

Note that the ProtectedClass is a protected inner class, meaning that it is only accessible from within the same package and from subclasses of the Parent class, even if they are in a different package. If you tried to access the ProtectedClass from a class outside the package, you would get a compile-time error.

public class Main {

   public static void main(String[] args) {

      Subclass subclass = new Subclass();

      subclass.example();   }}class Parent {

   protected class ProtectedClass {

      public void example() {

         System.out.println(“This is a protected class”);      }   }}

class Subclass extends Parent {

   public void example() {

      ProtectedClass protectedClass = new ProtectedClass();

      protectedClass.example();   }}

Default in Java

The default access level in Java is used when no other access level is specified. This means that if a class member (field or method) does not have any access level specified, it is given the default access level of default.

The default access level in Java is also known as package-private. This means that a class member with the default access level is only accessible from within the same package, but not from other packages. If you try to access a default class member from another package, you will get a compile-time error.

It’s important to note that the default access level should be used sparingly, and only when you want to restrict access to a class member from other packages. In most cases, it’s better to use the private access level to restrict access to the same class, or the protected or public access level to allow access from subclasses or other classes, respectively.

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