Cpp Protected

C++ protected

Created By: chatGPT

In C++, the protected access specifier is used to restrict access to class members. It allows a class to grant access to its inherited classes while maintaining control over its own members. Protected members are not accessible from outside the class or from non-derived classes, but can be accessed in derived classes. This feature is useful when you want to prevent outside classes from accessing certain parts of your class while still allowing derived classes to use them.

class Base {
    protected:
        int protectedValue;

    public:
        Base() : protectedValue(0) {}
};

class Derived : public Base {
    public:
        void setProtectedValue(int value) {
            protectedValue = value;  // Accessing protected member
        }
};

Here's how the protected keyword influences access:

The protected members are still part of the class's interface and accessible through derived classes.
You can use protected members as part of inheritance in object-oriented programming to derive new classes that can reuse and extend the Base class's functionality.

class Derived2 : public Base {
    public:
        int getProtectedValue() {
            return protectedValue; // Accessing protected member
        }
};

int main() {
    Derived d;
    d.setProtectedValue(5);
    Derived2 d2;
    int value = d2.getProtectedValue(); // value will be 0 because it's not set in Derived2
    return 0;
}

An important point to remember is that protected members are also inherited by classes that derive from derived classes, thus establishing a chain of access in inheritance hierarchies. This can allow even further extensions while still protecting access outside.

class FurtherDerived : public Derived {
    public:
        void showProtectedValue() {
            std::cout << "Protected Value: " << protectedValue << std::endl; // can access protected member
        }
};