if i have a pacakage access class somthing like this:
package AA; class A { // ... } which is only accessed by classes on package AA. What is the difference between declaring on this class a methods as a protected or public? Isn't it is the same because the class only accessed from its pacakge ?
Package AA might have a public class B that extends A.
In that case, a class C from a different package may create an instance of B and call any public methods of A for that instance.
If, however, you define methods of A as protected, C would have to be a sub-class of B in order to call those methods.
package AA; class A { public void foo() {} protected void bar() {} } package AA; public class B extends A { } package BB; public class C extends B { public void func () { super.bar (); // OK, since bar is protected and C extends B // which extends A } public static void main (String[] args) { B b = new B(); b.foo(); // OK, since foo is public b.bar(); // doesn't compile, since bar is protected } } 
C is important, from the same package, C could access the protected fields/methods too without extending either A or B. (protected includes package private access.)
It makes difference when using reflection, like Class.getMethods()
