Which @angular/* package(s) are relevant/related to the feature request?

• @angular/core
• @angular/core/testing

Description

According to the official Angular Style Guide:

Use protected on class members that are only used by a component's template

  it('should navigate to form on btnAdicionar', () => {
    component.add(); // ❌ Property 'add' is protected and only accessible within class ...
    expect(routerMock.navigate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['/feriados/form']);
  });

To bypass this, we are forced to write:

  it('should navigate to form on btnAdicionar', () => {
    (component as any).add(); // ✅ but unsafe and breaks TS encapsulation
    expect(routerMock.navigate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['/feriados/form']);
  });

Proposed solution

✅ Suggested Improvement
Provide a way to access protected members in tests cleanly. Some ideas:

• Add a TestBed.invokeProtected() helper
• Add documentation guidance or an official utility for accessing these
• Allow exposing protected methods via metadata in @component (just like inputs/outputs)

🔍 Why it matters
This discrepancy creates friction:

• The style guide encourages encapsulation (👍),
• But testing becomes harder or hacky (👎),

Especially in large projects with test coverage requirements.

Thanks for considering!

Alternatives considered

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