To understand who can access a method marked as protected internal
, the user needs to know about access modifiers in C#.
Now, let's go through each option and explain why it is right or wrong:
A. Access is limited to the current assembly: This option is partially correct. When a method is marked as internal
, it can only be accessed within the same assembly. However, when a method is marked as protected internal
, it can be accessed by derived types from any assembly as well as within the same assembly. Therefore, option A is incorrect.
B. Access is limited to the containing class or types derived from the containing class: This option is incorrect. When a method is marked as protected
, it can be accessed by the containing class or types derived from the containing class. However, when a method is marked as protected internal
, it can be accessed by derived types from any assembly as well as within the same assembly. Therefore, option B is incorrect.
C. Access is limited to the containing type: This option is incorrect. protected internal
access modifier provides more accessibility than protected
access modifier. When a method is marked as protected
, it can be accessed by the containing class or types derived from the containing class. However, when a method is marked as protected internal
, it can be accessed by derived types from any assembly as well as within the same assembly. Therefore, option C is incorrect.
D. Access is limited to the current assembly or types derived from the containing class: This option is correct. When a method is marked as protected internal
, it can be accessed by derived types from any assembly as well as within the same assembly. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.
The Answer is: D