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If I have a java class which is package-private (declared with "class", not "public class"), there is really no difference if the methods inside are declared public or protected or package-private, right? So which should I use, or when should I use which? I'm a bit confused.
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The private modifier specifies that the member can only be accessed in its own class. The protected modifier specifies that the member can only be accessed within its own package (as with package-private) and, in addition, by a subclass of its class in another package.
We can call the private method of a class from another class in Java (which are defined using the private access modifier in Java). We can do this by changing the runtime behavior of the class by using some predefined methods of Java. For accessing private method of different class we will use Reflection API.
Object users can't use private methods directly. The main reason to do this is to have internal methods that make a job easier.
If I have a java class which is package-private (declared with "class", not "public class"), there is really no difference if the methods inside are declared public or protected or package-private, right?
Well maybe not immediately. But if you then (or in the future) declare a 'protected' or 'public' class that inherits from the package-private class, then the visibility of the members of the original class do matter.
As @kmccoy points out, declaring the class as final removes the possibility of subclasses.
But this is really only window-dressing. If you then decide that you really need to create subclasses, you simply remove the final ... and then you are back in the situation where the choice of access modifiers does matter.
IMO, the bottom line is that you should pick the most appropriate modifiers ... even if it is not necessary right now. If nothing else, your choice of modifiers should document your intent as to where the abstraction boundaries lie.
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Public methods inside a package class are public to classes in the same package. But, private methods will not be accessible by classes in the same package.
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