What is the @package compiler directive for in Cocoa?

Question

I see @package a lot in Apple's header files, but for the life of me, I can't find an authoritative source that describes its meaning.

Answer 1

@package is a scope declaration for a particular class member. There are four:

• @public: Accessible everywhere.
• @protected: Accessible within the class that defines it and inheriting classes.
• @private: Accessible within the class that defines it.
• @package: In 64-bit, like @public, but only within the same framework; in 32-bit, identical to @public.

See this developer doc for more information.