Class is inaccessible due to its protection level

Question

I have three classes. all are part of the same namespace. here are the basics of the three classes.

//FBlock.cs
namespace StubGenerator.PropGenerator
{
    class FBlock : IDesignRegionInserts, IFormRegionInserts, IAPIRegionInserts,  IConfigurationInserts, ISoapProxyClientInserts, ISoapProxyServiceInserts
    {
        private List<Property> pProperties;
        private List<Method> pMethods;
        public FBlock(string aFBlockName)
        { 
            pProperties = new List<Property>();
            pMethods = new List<Method>();
        }

        public Property AddProperty(string aName)
        {
            Property loProp = new Property(this, aName, pProperties.Count);
            pProperties.Add(loProp);
            return loProp;
         }

         public Method AddMethod(string aName)
         {
             Method loMeth = new Method(this, aName);
             pMethods.Add(loMeth);
             return loMeth;
         }
     }

 //Method.cs
 namespace StubGenerator.PropGenerator
 {
     class Method : IPropertyName
     {
         private List<StubGenerator.PropGenerator.PropertyAttribute> pPropertyAttributes;
         private string pName;
         private string pFBlockName;

         public Method(FBlock aFBlock,string aName)
         {
             pPropertyAttributes = new List<PropertyAttribute>();
             pName = aName;
             pFBlockName = aFBlock.Name;
         }
      }
 }

 //Property.cs
 namespace StubGenerator.PropGenerator
 {
    class Property : StubGenerator.PropGenerator.IPropertyName, StubGenerator.PropGenerator.IDesignRegionInserts, StubGenerator.PropGenerator.IFormRegionInserts, IAPIRegionInserts, IConfigurationInserts, ISoapProxyClientInserts, ISoapProxyServiceInserts
    {
        private string pName;
        private string pExpandedName;
        private string pFBlockInitials;

        private Group pPropertyGroup;
        private FlowLayoutPanel pGroupFlowPanel;
        private Button pUpdateButton;
        private CheckBox pShowProperty;


         private string pFBlockName;


         public Property(FBlock aFBlock, string aName, int aIndex)
         {
             pPropertyAttributes = new List<PropertyAttribute>();
             pFBlockName = aFBlock.FBlockName;

             ExpandName();
             GetInitials();

             pShowProperty = new CheckBox(this, 10, (aIndex + 1) * 20, aIndex);
             pPropertyGroup = new Group(this);
             pGroupFlowPanel = new FlowLayoutPanel(this);

             pUpdateButton = new Button(this, 10, 18, aIndex);
         }
     }
}

I'm getting the following errors

'StubGenerator.PropGenerator.Method' is inaccessible due to its protection level

which refers to the following line in the FBlock.cs file

private List<Method> pMethods;

and

'StubGenerator.PropGenerator.Method' is inaccessible due to its protection level

which refers to the following line in the FBlock.cs file

 public Method AddMethod(string aName)

and

Inconsistent accessibility: return type 'StubGenerator.PropGenerator.Method' is less accessible than method 'StubGenerator.PropGenerator.FBlock.AddMethod(string)'

which refers to the following line in the FBlock.cs file

 public Method AddMethod(string aName)

making the class Method public does not resolve the errors. I can't figure out why I don't get the errors when calling the Property class. And I don't understand why making the Method class public doesn't fix the problem.

Any ideas?

Edited to ask. could there be some setting on the file that causes this?

Tonneson

Does it change something if you declare the main classes explicitly as public? – Belligerency

The Property constructor references a field pPropertyAttributes that doesn’t exist. You have clearly not posted the code that produces the errors you claim. – Adulterous

Is it a copy paste error that there is a } missing at the end of the FBlock definition? As it currently is listed, the first namespace declaration is not closed. – Flagship

timwi, there are no errors in the Property class. I only included it because the addProperty method in the FBlock class doesn't cause any errors and, as far as I can tell, has the same access level as the Method class. I cut a lot out of that class because it is quite long and doesn't add anything to the question. I can add it in its entirety if you think it will help. – Tonneson

epotter, the copy paste error was from copy to the question. I cut a lot out of the FBlock class because it's long and didn't have anything to do with the question. – Tonneson

In C#, namespaces don't have any effect on access whatsoever. internal is not equivalent to java package access. Are all these files in the same project? – Schrecklichkeit

I thought so. apparently 2 of them were also in a different project as linked files. Which is where the actual problem turned out to be. I had to add the method.cs to the other project as a linked file. – Tonneson

I had the exact same error, except in my case it built on my local machine but not on our build server. The problem turned out to be a reference to a dll that while it existed on both machines, was referenced via a relative path inside the csproj file. When I manually edited the csproj file and converted the dll reference to use an absolute path (which was the same on both machines), this problem disappeared. – Emie

Answer 1

There was a project that used linked files. I needed to add the method.cs file to that project as a linked file as well, since the FBlock.cs file was there. I've never heard of linked files before, I didn't even know that was possible.

Tonneson

Yes the option to add linked files is pretty well hidden in visual studio. If someone search it, it's in the add existing file dialog, the Add button have a small arrow to add the file as a link instead of copying it. – Valente

Answer 2

First thing, try a full rebuild. Clean and build (or just use rebuild). Every once in a long while that resolves bizarre build issues for me.

Next, comment out the rest of the code that is not in your example you have posted. Compile. Does that work?

If so, start adding segments back until one breaks it.

If not, make all the classes public and try again.

If that still fails, maybe try putting the trimmed down classes in the same file and rebuilding. At that point, there would be absolutely no reason for access issues. If that still fails, take up carpentry.

Tobe

To my surprise, this (rebuild) worked for me. I guess I've stopped expecting incremental builds to mess up :( – Preceptive

Thank you... Clean showed another similar errors not showed before, and Build wash them out. – Christlike

Answer 3

Try adding the below code to the class that you want to use

[Serializable()]
public partial class Class
{

Embryonic

Answer 4

It may also be the case that the library containing the class in question is not properly signed with a strong name.

Comanchean

Answer 5

The code you posted does not produce the error messages you quoted. You should provide a (small) example that actually exhibits the problem.

Adulterous

@NullUserException: I considered it, but as it stands, it is actually the answer to the question :) – Adulterous

Answer 6

All your classes are internal by default

Marking public did not do the trick.

Are you sure you do not have two classes named Method, and perhaps are including the wrong Method class?

Rheostat

Non-nested classes cannot be protected. They are internal by default. – Adulterous

all three classes are in the same assembly. So they shouldn't need to be public, right? – Tonneson

Correct. Its an odd problem, and as several stated, I too am not able to reproduce it, so I think the problem lies somewhere else. – Rheostat

I just searched the the entire solution there is only one Method class and when I mouse over the Declaration it shows the correct namespace. – Tonneson

Answer 7

I'm guessing public Method AddMethod(string aName) is defined on a public interface that FBlock implements. Consumers of that interface are not guaranteed to have access to Method.

Assertion

If that were the case, the compiler would complain about it in the interface declaration. – Adulterous

I know, but as you indicate, the given code gives no errors, so something has obviously been omitted from the question. Like i said, just a (educated) guess. – Assertion

It doesn't exist in any of the public interfaces that FBlock implements. I've included all of the code that any of the errors reference. I didn't include all of the code because it would make for a really, really long question. All of the code that I've added since it last compiled is included in the question. – Tonneson

Answer 8

Hi You need to change the Button properties from private to public. You can change Under Button >> properties >> Design >> Modifiers >> "public" Once change the protection error will gone.

Budi

Nagle

Answer 9

your class should be public

public class FBlock : IDesignRegionInserts, IFormRegionInserts, IAPIRegionInserts, IConfigurationInserts, ISoapProxyClientInserts, ISoapProxyServiceInserts

Janinajanine