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Chapter 15: Problem 4

What is the difference between a protected class member and a private class member?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The main difference between a private and a protected class member is their accessibility within subclasses (derived classes). Private class members are only accessible within the class they are defined in, while protected class members are accessible within the class they are defined in and its subclasses.

Step by step solution

01

Definition of Private and Protected Class Members

A private class member is an attribute or a method that is visible and accessible only within the class it is defined in. It means that any code outside the class cannot access or modify it directly. A protected class member is an attribute or a method that is visible and accessible within the class it is defined in and its subclasses (derived classes). It means that the code within the subclasses can access and modify protected members inherited from the base class.
02

Accessibility in the Class

Both private and protected members can be accessed within the class they are defined in. However, the difference in their visibility arises when dealing with inheritance.
03

Accessibility in Subclasses (Derived Classes)

Subclasses can access and modify protected members from the base class, but they cannot access private members directly. This is an essential aspect of inheritance and allows for better control over the encapsulation and data hiding in an object-oriented programming context.
04

Summary

- Private class members are only accessible within the class they are defined in. - Protected class members are accessible within the class they are defined in and its subclasses (derived classes). - The difference between private and protected class members lies in their accessibility within subclasses, which is permitted for protected members but restricted for private members.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

True or False Private members of a protected base class become inaccessible to the derived class.

Complete the table on the next page by filling in private, protected, public, or inaccessible in the right-hand column: $$\begin{array}{ll} \hline \text { In a private base class, this base class } & \ldots \text { becomes this access specification in } \\ \text { MEMBER access specification... } & \text { the derived class. } \\ \hline \text { private } & & \\ \text { protected } & & \\ \text { public } & & \\ \hline \end{array}$$

What is an abstract base class?

Write the first line of the declaration for a poodle class. The class should be derived from the Dog class with public base class access.

True or False Arguments are passed to the base class constructor by the derived class constructor.
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