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Public Class Fields

The terms public and private pertain to classes in how their class members (properties, methods) are available

  • For public, members are available to everyone. For private it is limited to the functions in that class.

We will be discussing the public version of classes here.

warning

Private features are limited in Hedgehog Script.

Public Class with static Fields​

Let's say you create a class instance. If it has a static field, it will available once and only once!

  • Specifically, all instances of the class shares the static field

Also, static fields belong to the class itself, not the instances of the class.

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To make a normal public field static, just add the keyword static in front of its declaration!

The opposite of a static field, or when we say "normal" is called an instance field.

Here is an example displaying the difference:

Public Instance Fields​

Unlike static fields, public instance fields exist on every created instance of a class.

By declaring a field public, you can ensure the field is always there.

An example was shown above for reference.

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Note that you can access fields' values within the constructor.

This is due to the instance fields of a class being added before the respective constructor runs.

Public static Methods​

When static is used with a method for a class, that method must be called by the class itself, not an instance.

Here's an example of a static method:

Public Instance Methods​

When a method is an instance method, it is available to every instance.

  • Trying to access it statically will fail, like the reverse situation.

Here is an example:

Inside instance methods, this refers to the instance itself.

For static methods, this refers to the constructor's values.

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'Getters' and 'setters' are special methods that bind to a class property.

They are called when that property is accessed or set.

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Overall classes are a long and relatively complicated topic. This is the public version.

There is also private features for classes.

However, one should make sure to understand the differences between static and instance fields and methods.