Default Access Modifiers

Depending on the context in which a member declaration takes place, only certain types of declared accessibility are permitted. Furthermore, when a member declaration does not include any access modifiers, the context in which the declaration takes place determines the default declared accessibility.

·         Namespaces implicitly have public declared accessibility. No access modifiers are allowed on namespace declarations.

·         Types declared in compilation units or namespaces can have public or internal declared accessibility and default to internal declared accessibility.

·         Class members can have any of the five kinds of declared accessibility and default to private declared accessibility. (Note that a type declared as a member of a class can have any of the five kinds of declared accessibility, whereas a type declared as a member of a namespace can have only public or internal declared accessibility.)

·         Struct members can have public, internal, or private declared accessibility and default to private declared accessibility because structs are implicitly sealed. Struct members introduced in a struct (that is, not inherited by that struct) cannot have protected or protected internal declared accessibility. (Note that a type declared as a member of a struct can have public, internal, or private declared accessibility, whereas a type declared as a member of a namespace can have only public or internal declared accessibility.)

·         Interface members implicitly have public declared accessibility. No access modifiers are allowed on interface member declarations.

·         Enumeration members implicitly have public declared accessibility. No access modifiers are allowed on enumeration member declarations.