Doubt in protected modifier

[ramya ray]

It is mentioned that a subclass outside the package can not access member which has protected modifier using a reference to an instance of superclass..

But below code gives the different behaviour.

package fruit;
public class parent{

protected static void p1( ){
System.out.println("Parent class");
}
}

import fruit.parent;
public class child extends parent{
public static void main (String ARGS[]){
child c = new child();
c.p1();
}
}

class child complies and output : "parent class"

Please explain why it is not giving the compile error.

Thanks in advance.

[Keith Lynn]

Here you are not accessing the method p1() with a superclass reference. You are accessing it with a subclass reference.
[ September 11, 2006: Message edited by: Keith Lynn ]

[Henry Wong]

protected methods may be accessed from any class in the same package and any subclass. Since child is a subclass, it may call the protected method, even though it is not in the same package.




[Clarification: By "and", I did not mean to imply that subclass must be in the same package. I meant that any class in the same package *and* any subclass regardless of package location, may access the protected method.]

Henry
[ September 11, 2006: Message edited by: Henry Wong ]

[Vaibhav Chauhan]

if you want to challenge the quote that you mentioned, write:

parent p=new child();
p.p1();

this will not compile.

hope you got it.
[ September 12, 2006: Message edited by: Vaibhav Chauhan ]

[Chetan Raju]

child c = new child();
c.p1();

please check which type c is.