Java For Dummies, 8th Edition

Chapter 14

Sharing Names among the Parts of a Java Program

IN THIS CHAPTER

Hiding names from other classes

Exposing names to other classes

Tweaking your code to find the right middle ground

Our family's neighborhood elementary school has a yearly tradition: Each spring, the students in fifth grade take a daylong field trip to Philadelphia. When my son was in fifth grade, I went along on the trip to help supervise 4 of the 20 children. While the 4 kids and I were touring the city's historical sites, I misplaced the preplanned itinerary. I didn't know where we were supposed to go next. So, what could I do? I did what any good Philadelphia native would do — I ignored the itinerary and took the kids to the nearest cheap restaurant. I treated them all to Philadelphia's signature dish — the fat-laden, greasy, Philadelphia cheesesteak.

What could this story possibly have to do with Java? That's simple. This chapter is about access — how one class's code may gain access to another class's code. My Philadelphia anecdote is about access, too. Shortly after the school trip, my son's fifth grade teacher got wind of my shenanigans during the tour. Later, when my daughter was in fifth grade, ...