To access a private field you need to set Field::setAccessible to true. You can pull the field off the super class. This code works:

CopyClass<?> clazz = Child.class;
Object cc = clazz.newInstance();

Field f1 = cc.getClass().getSuperclass().getDeclaredField("a_field");
f1.setAccessible(true);
f1.set(cc, "reflecting on life");
String str1 = (String) f1.get(cc);
System.out.println("field: " + str1);

Yes, it absolutely is - assuming you've got the appropriate security permissions. Use Field.setAccessible(true) first if you're accessing it from a different class.

import java.lang.reflect.*;

class Other
{
    private String str;
    public void setStr(String value)
    {
        str = value;
    }
}

class Test
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
        // Just for the ease of a throwaway test. Don't
        // do this normally!
        throws Exception
    {
        Other t = new Other();
        t.setStr("hi");
        Field field = Other.class.getDeclaredField("str");
        field.setAccessible(true);
        Object value = field.get(t);
        System.out.println(value);
    }
}

And no, you shouldn't normally do this... it's subverting the intentions of the original author of the class. For example, there may well be validation applied in any situation where the field can normally be set, or other fields may be changed at the same time. You're effectively violating the intended level of encapsulation.

Get all the methods and find the matching one, which has type info about the parameters:

String name;
String value;
Method[] methods = Child.class.getMethods();
for (Method method : methods) {
    if (!method.getName().equals(name))
        continue;
    Class<?> paramType = method.getParameterTypes()[0];
    //You will have to figure how to convert the String value to the parameter.
    method.invoke(child, paramType.cast(value)); // for example
}

This answer is more than exhaustive on the topic.

JLS 17.5.3 Subsequent Modification of Final Fields

Even then, there are a number of complications. If a final field is initialized to a compile-time constant in the field declaration, changes to the final field may not be observed, since uses of that final field are replaced at compile time with the compile-time constant.

But, if you read the paragraph above very carefully, you may find a way around here (set the private final field in the constructor instead of in the field definition):

import java.lang.reflect.Field;


public class Test {

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    WithPrivateFinalField pf = new WithPrivateFinalField();
    System.out.println(pf);
    Field f = pf.getClass().getDeclaredField("s");
    f.setAccessible(true);
    System.out.println("f.get(pf): " + f.get(pf));
    f.set(pf, "No, you’re not!");
    System.out.println(pf);
    System.out.println("f.get(pf): " + f.get(pf));
  }

  private static class WithPrivateFinalField {
    private final String s;

    public WithPrivateFinalField() {
      this.s = "I’m totally safe";
    }
    public String toString() {
      return "s = " + s;
    }
  }

}

The output is then as follows:

s = I’m totally safe
f.get(pf): I’m totally safe
s = No, you’re not!
f.get(pf): No, you’re not!

Hope this helps a bit.

Assuming no SecurityManager is preventing you from doing this, you can use setAccessible to get around private and resetting the modifier to get rid of final, and actually modify a private static final field.

Here's an example:

import java.lang.reflect.*;

public class EverythingIsTrue {
   static void setFinalStatic(Field field, Object newValue) throws Exception {
      field.setAccessible(true);

      Field modifiersField = Field.class.getDeclaredField("modifiers");
      modifiersField.setAccessible(true);
      modifiersField.setInt(field, field.getModifiers() & ~Modifier.FINAL);

      field.set(null, newValue);
   }
   public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception {      
      setFinalStatic(Boolean.class.getField("FALSE"), true);

      System.out.format("Everything is %s", false); // "Everything is true"
   }
}

Assuming no SecurityException is thrown, the above code prints "Everything is true".

What's actually done here is as follows:

• The primitive boolean values true and false in main are autoboxed to reference type Boolean "constants" Boolean.TRUE and Boolean.FALSE
• Reflection is used to change the public static final Boolean.FALSE to refer to the Boolean referred to by Boolean.TRUE
• As a result, subsequently whenever a false is autoboxed to Boolean.FALSE, it refers to the same Boolean as the one refered to by Boolean.TRUE
• Everything that was "false" now is "true"

Related questions

• Using reflection to change static final File.separatorChar for unit testing
• How to limit setAccessible to only “legitimate” uses?
  • Has examples of messing with Integer's cache, mutating a String, etc

Caveats

Extreme care should be taken whenever you do something like this. It may not work because a SecurityManager may be present, but even if it doesn't, depending on usage pattern, it may or may not work.

JLS 17.5.3 Subsequent Modification of Final Fields

In some cases, such as deserialization, the system will need to change the final fields of an object after construction. final fields can be changed via reflection and other implementation dependent means. The only pattern in which this has reasonable semantics is one in which an object is constructed and then the final fields of the object are updated. The object should not be made visible to other threads, nor should the final fields be read, until all updates to the final fields of the object are complete. Freezes of a final field occur both at the end of the constructor in which the final field is set, and immediately after each modification of a final field via reflection or other special mechanism.

Even then, there are a number of complications. If a final field is initialized to a compile-time constant in the field declaration, changes to the final field may not be observed, since uses of that final field are replaced at compile time with the compile-time constant.

Another problem is that the specification allows aggressive optimization of final fields. Within a thread, it is permissible to reorder reads of a final field with those modifications of a final field that do not take place in the constructor.

See also

• JLS 15.28 Constant Expression
  • It's unlikely that this technique works with a primitive private static final boolean, because it's inlineable as a compile-time constant and thus the "new" value may not be observable

Appendix: On the bitwise manipulation

Essentially,

field.getModifiers() & ~Modifier.FINAL

turns off the bit corresponding to Modifier.FINAL from field.getModifiers(). & is the bitwise-and, and ~ is the bitwise-complement.

See also

• Wikipedia/Bitwise operation

Remember Constant Expressions

Still not being able to solve this?, have fallen onto depression like I did for it? Does your code looks like this?

public class A {
    private final String myVar = "Some Value";
}

Reading the comments on this answer, specially the one by @Pshemo, it reminded me that Constant Expressions are handled different so it will be impossible to modify it. Hence you will need to change your code to look like this:

public class A {
    private final String myVar;

    private A() {
        myVar = "Some Value";
    }
}

if you are not the owner of the class... I feel you!

For more details about why this behavior read this?