access modifier
Definition
An access modifier is used in programming languages to control the visibility and accessibility of variables, methods, and classes within different parts of code. It determines whether other parts of code can access and modify certain elements.
Analogy
Think of access modifiers as security settings for your social media posts. You can choose to make a post public (accessible to everyone), private (only visible to you), or limited to specific friends (accessible by certain parts of code).
Related terms
public: This access modifier allows unrestricted access to variables, methods, or classes from any part of the code.
private: This access modifier restricts access to variables, methods, or classes only within the same class where they are declared.
protected: This access modifier allows access within the same class and its subclasses but not outside those boundaries.
"access modifier" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (4)
- What access modifier will the public methods inherited from a superclass have in the subclass?
- Which of the following is NOT an access modifier in Java?
- In Java, what is the default access for a class member when no access modifier is specified?
- Which access modifier provides the broadest level of accessibility in Java?
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