Question

I’m unsure why this code compiles… quoting the Java tutorials:

like static class methods, a static nested class cannot refer directly to instance variables or methods defined in its enclosing class — it can use them only through an object reference.

Src: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/nested.html

public class StaticNested {

    private String member;
    private static String staticMember;

    static class StaticNestedClass {
        private void myMethod() {
            System.out.println(staticMember);
            StaticNested nested = new StaticNested();
            System.out.println(nested.member);
        }
    }
}

I didn’t expect to be able to access member directly, but the code compiles fine. Am I misunderstanding the Java spec?

Sorry about the formatting, I’m struggling with my browser + post editor.

Answer 1

You aren’t accessing instance members directly.

staticMember is accessing a non-instance member, and nested.member is accessing one through an object reference.