Scribd
Upload
36 views

CPP Class Access Modifiers12456

modifiers

Uploaded by

Sems Krks
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
36 views

CPP Class Access Modifiers12456

modifiers

Uploaded by

Sems Krks
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

C++ CLASS ACCESS MODIFIERS

http://www.tutorialspoint.com/cplusplus/cpp_class_access_modifiers.htm Copyright © tutorialspoint.com

Data hiding is one of the important features of Object Oriented Programming which allows
preventing the functions of a program to access directly the internal representation of a class type.
The access restriction to the class members is specified by the labeled public, private, and
protected sections within the class body. The keywords public, private, and protected are called
access specifiers.

A class can have multiple public, protected, or private labeled sections. Each section remains in
effect until either another section label or the closing right brace of the class body is seen. The
default access for members and classes is private.

class Base {

public:

// public members go here

protected:

// protected members go here

private:

// private members go here

};

The public members:


A public member is accessible from anywhere outside the class but within a program. You can set
and get the value of public variables without any member function as shown in the following
example:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

class Line
{
public:
double length;
void setLength( double len );
double getLength( void );
};

// Member functions definitions


double Line::getLength(void)
{
return length ;
}

void Line::setLength( double len )


{
length = len;
}

// Main function for the program


int main( )
{
Line line;

// set line length


line.setLength(6.0);
cout << "Length of line : " << line.getLength() <<endl;

// set line length without member function


line.length = 10.0; // OK: because length is public
cout << "Length of line : " << line.length <<endl;
return 0;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

Length of line : 6
Length of line : 10

The private members:


A private member variable or function cannot be accessed, or even viewed from outside the
class. Only the class and friend functions can access private members.

By default all the members of a class would be private, for example in the following class width is
a private member, which means until you label a member, it will be assumed a private member:

class Box
{
double width;
public:
double length;
void setWidth( double wid );
double getWidth( void );
};

Practically, we define data in private section and related functions in public section so that they
can be called from outside of the class as shown in the following program.

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

class Box
{
public:
double length;
void setWidth( double wid );
double getWidth( void );

private:
double width;
};

// Member functions definitions


double Box::getWidth(void)
{
return width ;
}

void Box::setWidth( double wid )


{
width = wid;
}

// Main function for the program


int main( )
{
Box box;

// set box length without member function


box.length = 10.0; // OK: because length is public
cout << "Length of box : " << box.length <<endl;

// set box width without member function


// box.width = 10.0; // Error: because width is private
box.setWidth(10.0); // Use member function to set it.
cout << "Width of box : " << box.getWidth() <<endl;

return 0;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:

Length of box : 10
Width of box : 10

The protected members:


A protected member variable or function is very similar to a private member but it provided one
additional benefit that they can be accessed in child classes which are called derived classes.

You will learn derived classes and inheritance in next chapter. For now you can check following
example where I have derived one child class SmallBox from a parent class Box.

Following example is similar to above example and here width member will be accessible by any
member function of its derived class SmallBox.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

class Box
{
protected:
double width;
};

class SmallBox:Box // SmallBox is the derived class.


{
public:
void setSmallWidth( double wid );
double getSmallWidth( void );
};

// Member functions of child class


double SmallBox::getSmallWidth(void)
{
return width ;
}

void SmallBox::setSmallWidth( double wid )


{
width = wid;
}

// Main function for the program


int main( )
{
SmallBox box;

// set box width using member function


box.setSmallWidth(5.0);
cout << "Width of box : "<< box.getSmallWidth() << endl;

return 0;
}

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:
Width of box : 5

You might also like