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static variable doubt

 
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Hi Friends,
I have a circle class that generates circles. The circle has a static count variable which is used in the constructor to count the no. of circles created. My question is that would it be a good idea to make the count variable private and provide a static method to access it.I would be obliged if someone could please clear this doubt.



Thanks
 
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It's a good idea to make all member variables private. And only provide a getX() method if some code outside of the class truly needs to know that value. Seriously.

So the answer to all of your questions is "yes".
 
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Also, it is a bad idea to access a static variable as "this.count" because it looks like a instance variable. Instead, you should use "Circle.count" to clarify that it is a static class variable.

Layne
 
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