Changing Visibility of Members

In an ABAP class or ABAP interface, you can move a member definition between the public, protected, and private sections in order to switch its availability.

Prerequisites

This functionality is provided in SAP NetWeaver Release 7.31 SP06 and higher as well as Release 7.40 SP02 and higher.

Context

This refactoring option can be triggered for the following member types:

Types
Constants
Attributes
Methods
Events
Aliases

Note Depending on the current section of the selected member, two refactoring aids are available as shown in the following table:

Current Section	Option 1	Option 2
Private	Make protected	Make public
Protected	Make private	Make public
Public	Make private	Make protected

Example

Before Execution	After Execution
To copy the source code example, click here Code Example Before Execution
The `speed` attribute is declared in the private section.	The declaration of the `speed` attribute has has been removed from the private section and added in the public section.

Decreasing Visibility

Some refactoring aids decrease (public > protected > private > local) the visibility of members of a class.

So, if the visibility of the target section is more restrictive than in the current section, the refactoring will check whether any usages exist that will no longer be available after the change. In this case, the developer is informed and can decide to reject or apply the change.

Increasing Visibility

Some refactoring aids increase (local > private > protected > public) the visibility of members or locals inside a class.

So, if the visibility of a member (or local) is increased, subsequent processing might depend on other declarations that are no longer visible for the member. In this case, the developer is informed and can decide to reject or apply the change.

Procedure

In the definition part, position the cursor on the member you want to move to another section.
Get the quick assist proposals by choosing Quick Fix from the context menu (shortcut Ctrl 1) or by using the Quick Assist view.
Apply Make 'member' protected, Make 'member' public, or Make 'member' private. Note that the corresponding refactoring options for the possible target sections will be displayed depending on the current cursor position.