On Tue, Mar 25, 2025, at 22:05, Rowan Tommins [IMSoP] wrote: > > > On 25 March 2025 20:29:16 GMT, Rob Landers <rob@bottled.codes> wrote: > > Personally, I'd feel that file-private should be kept as simple as possible > > and limit it to "top-level" things, but that doesn't necessarily have to be > > the case. If we did allow it on methods/properties, when mixing it with > > regular visibility, what happens? `fileprivate public private(set)` ... > > means what exactly? > > > If we didn't have "protected", would you ask the same about "protected > private"? "fileprivate" would be just another access level, not something > you'd combine with existing ones.
Actually, probably yes :) Mostly just to ask for clarification. In this case though, we have private(set) and protected(set); would we also want fileprivate(set)? That's what I was getting at. How do we mix/match up all these things? > > > maybe `fileprivate` on a property means `public` in the file, but `private` > > outside the file. But then how would that intersect with inheritance? > > > That was the point of my philosophical rambling about Swift: you don't have > to define new access levels in relation to old ones, or new features as > exceptions to old definitions. > > You can just define the keywords you allow, and the access they provide. > That's true whether you're defining "private", "fileprivate", or > "access_level_42". > > For instance, "fileprivate" could simply mean "accessible from any code > defined in this file". Since classes are fully declared in one file, that > makes it a strict superset of the access currently meant by "private", and > applies equally well to a whole type, a method, or a property. > > I see no reason for inheritance to be involved at all. If we want an access > level that means "accessible from any code in this file, or any subclass of > the current type", we can make up a keyword for that as well - > "fileprotected", or "fileprivate_or_protected", or whatever. > > > Rowan Tommins > [IMSoP] Inheritance gets involved in traits. Traits do "inherit" private access properties (currently): https://3v4l.org/89I7A Would file-private properties/methods also be available outside the file, or would those allow access from inside the new file? Or both? — Rob
