The protected keyword : Access Control « Class Definition « Java Tutorial

1. Java Tutorial
2. Class Definition
3. Access Control

class A {
  private String name;

  protected void set(String nm) {
    name = nm;
  }

  public A(String name) {
    this.name = name;
  }

  public String toString() {
    return "I'm " + name;
  }
}

class B extends A {
  private int i;

  public B(String name, int i) {
    super(name);
    this.i = i;
  }

  public void change(String name, int i) {
    set(name); // Available because it's protected
    this.i = i;
  }

  public String toString() {
    return " " + i + ": " + super.toString();
  }
}

public class MainClass {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    B orc = new B("A", 12);
    System.out.println(orc);
    orc.change("B", 19);
    System.out.println(orc);
  }

}

12: I'm A
 19: I'm B