Using access modifiers while creating a new class object in Java

Question

Why is it illegal to use an access modifier when creating a new object? Like this:

public GoKart newGoKart = new GoKart("red");

instead of:

GoKart newGoKart = new GoKart("red");

Answer 1 · 2015-03-08T15:39:09Z

March 8, 2015 3:39pm

Sam Fisher,

As Michael McDonald commented, It is illegal to use access modifiers on any variable inside a method. Access modifiers may be used to specify access of class variables such as data members and methods/functions. Similarly, it can be used when creating objects too, as can be seen from the sample code below, but not within methods/functions.

A.java

public class A
{
  private String mStr="";

  A(String str)
  {
    mStr = str;
  }

  public String getString()
  {
    return mStr;
  }
}

Introductions.java

import java.io.Console;

public class Introductions {
    static public A a = new A("Hello");

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.console().printf("Hi\n");
        // Welcome to the Introductions program!  Your code goes below here
        System.out.println(a.getString());
  }
}

Console

treehouse:~/workspace$ javac A.java && javac Introductions.java && java Introductions

Hi

Hello

Hope this helps. Please Up vote if it helps. If you feel this is the answer that you were looking for, please `Mark as Answer' And in case, it does not, please reply so that we will get to know.

Thanks.

Answer 2 · 2015-03-19T10:32:13Z

March 19, 2015 10:32am

A follow up question on the above solution:

Suppose String mstr was public, then there should be no need for the getString() method. Then in the introductions class, can we print the string in the a object by using the command line a.str instead of a.getString().

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Sam Fisher

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Using access modifiers while creating a new class object in Java

Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald

2 Answers

Brandon Zeck

Brandon Zeck

mahesh gurbaxani

mahesh gurbaxani