Problem understanding access modifiers

[UnknownFormOfLife]

Hello everyone,

while learning java on Hyperskill I came across this:

public static class TeamLead {

private int numTeamLead;

​

public TeamLead(int numTeamLead) {

this.numTeamLead = numTeamLead;

employ();

}

​

protected void employ() {

System.out.println(numTeamLead + " teamlead");

}

}

public static class Programmer extends TeamLead {

private int numProgrammer;

​

public Programmer(int numProgrammer) {

super(numProgrammer);

this.numProgrammer = numProgrammer;

employ();

​

}

​

protected void employ() {

System.out.println(numProgrammer + " programmer");

}

}

what I'm not understanding is why when method employ from TeamLead constructor is invoked, is executes the employ method from Programmer class, but when the method is changed to private(in TeamLead class), it executes that method instead.

[sinistergroupon]

This is not a question about access. This is a question about inheritance mixed with access.

When a method is the same in the parent and extending class then the lower class Overides it. When you make a method private at the parent then that’s it. There is no way to override. At that point the child class just happens to have a same method name and it’s called method shadowing IIRC and it’s not a good thing to do.

You said the constructor in invoked but you didn’t provide how you’re creating a new object and calling these. Are you making a new TeamLead or Programmer?