Q: I use an third party package and I need to have an access to protected methods of one class - the member of that package.

I asked developers of the package to change it for me, but they answered that it will take month until the release will be ready (they are occupied with another job now).

What can I do? I can not wait with development and need to continue my job.

A: Exists one legal way and two illegal

Please read license agreement to the package and make sure that you are not going to do it illegally.

1. Just extend the class and you will get access to all protected methods.

2. Take that class, decompile it and change protected to public. Take a look at the list of decompilers here

3. Add your own class into the package. Write a method that creates an instance of that class where protected method is and call it. Since protected methods are accessible for package members - you can access it now as well from within of your new class.

Please be sure that you are not breaking a license agreement or contact developers and ask a permission to do that.