I would keep the internal classes private and then create accessor properties in the outer class that allow you to access the those properties of the inner class you wish to expose higher.
ALL var access should be through properties anyway. You should not make vars public in scope.
This is really rough (typed into a text editor and not a code editor), but you shoul dget the idea...
Public Class OuterClass
Private mSomePrivateVar As Integer
private mPrivateClassInstance As InnerClass
Public Sub New()
mPrivateClassInstance = New PrivateClassInstance
End Sub
Public Property PrivateVar As Integer
Get
Return mSomePrivateVar
End Get
Set (value As Integer)
mSomePrivateVar = value
End Set
End Property
Public Property InnerValue As Integer
Get
Return mPrivateClassInstance.PrivateVarOne
End Get
Set (value As Integer)
mPrivateClassInstance.PrivateVarOne = value
End Set
End Property
Private Class InnerClass
Private mSomePrivateVar As Integer
Private mAnotherPrivateVar as Integer
Public Sub New()
End Sub
Public Property PrivateVarOne As Integer
Get
Return mSomePrivateVar
End Get
Set (value As Integer)
mSomePrivateVar = value
End Set
End Property
Public Property PrivateVarTwo As Integer
Get
Return mAnotherPrivateVar
End Get
Set (value As Integer)
mAnotherPrivateVar = value
End Set
End Property
End Class
End Class
"Rlrcstr" <rl*****@msn.com> wrote in message news:%2***************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
Is there any way to restrain member visibility to within a class? I have a class with a few classes defined within. (Note that they aren't inheriting from the class, just encapsulated within it.) I want the inner classes to be able to share data with the outer class, but not outside of it. Protected only seems to affect derived classes. And Friend allows the stuff to be seen anywhere in the application.
I'm probably asking too much, but I want the inner class to be seen publicly, but save a few of it's members only for access by the outer class:
Public Class OuterClass
Private _somePrivateVar <- Only from within OuterClass
Public _somePublicVar <- Can be seen by everyone.
Public Class InnerClass
Public _somePublicVar <- Can be seen by everyone.
<?????> _someOtherVar <- Can be seen by OuterClass, by not beyond.
End Class
End Class
Is this possible?
Thanks.
Jerry
