Access

Every declaration has an access: the code that may name it. Access is checked when the program compiles; naming something you cannot see is error AN1400 (a type) or AN1401 (a member).

Defaults

• Members of a type are private unless they say otherwise.
• Types, and functions and constants of a namespace, are internal.
• A project can change the default for everything that says nothing with access.default in the BUILD chunk of its .queen file, for example access.default: public (see Project files).

The members of an interface, operators and enum members are always public.

Access sections

Inside a type, a label such as public: gives its access to every member after it, up to the next label or the end of the type. Labels can repeat, and a word written on a single member wins over its section:

import System;

public class Vault
{
	i32 code = 42;              // private: before any label

	public:
		Peek(Vault other) : i32 => other.code;

	inherited:
		i32 Level = 3;

	friendly:
		i32 Shared = 5;

	file:
		i32 Local = 6;
		public i32 Open = 7;    // the word on the member wins
}

public class BigVault : Vault
{
	public:
		Show() : i32 => Level;  // inherited: visible here
}

[FriendOf(Vault)]
public class Auditor
{
	public:
		Check(Vault v) : i32 => v.Shared;   // friendly: Auditor is a friend
}

Main()
{
	Vault v = new Vault();
	Console.WriteLine(v.Peek(v) + new BigVault().Show() + new Auditor().Check(v) + v.Local + v.Open);
}

$ larva run
63

The labels are public:, private:, internal:, inherited:, friendly: and file:. By convention a label goes one tab further in than its type's braces, and its members one tab more, as above.

Sections also work in extension blocks, and members declared by a static loop take the section the loop is in.

Friends

[FriendOf(Other)] on a type makes it and Other friends: each sees the other's friendly members. Friendship works across libraries, and reflection reports it with typeof(A).IsFriendOf(typeof(B)). FriendOf names one type (AN1070), not the type itself (AN1071).

Rules

An accessor of a property can be more restricted than the property: i32 Level { get; private set; }.