CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javamethodsstaticmembernon-static
Alvin3001
Alvin3001

Reputation: 109

How does non-static method access static members in java?

Consider this:

class SomeClass
{
   static int a;
   int method()
   {
      int b = a;
      return b;
   }
}

How does a is being accessed in method? Is it this.a or someClass.a?

EDIT: Sorry if I'm not clear in my question. What I want to know is: *Is there a hidden this or someClass associated with a [in method] or is it simply a [in method] that is accessing the class member?

Upvotes: 3

Views: 1338

Answers (4)

hammelion
hammelion

Reputation: 351

I will edit your example in order to make it look a little bit more right:

public class SomeClass
{
   private static int a = 1;
   public int method()
   {
      int b = a;
      return b;
   }
}

int b = a; is equal to int b = SomeClass.a;

Don't be confused with this - it is a reference to an object. Static fields belong to a class, not to an object, so it is incorrect to get a with this.a

And, as already mentioned here:

Instance methods can access class variables and class methods directly.

Upvotes: 1

MrPublic
MrPublic

Reputation: 518

As long as the static member is public, you can use "SomeClass.a" from any class. For private members, create an accessor method if you really need to access the member and from within the class, just specify it as "a".

Upvotes: 0

Bathsheba
Bathsheba

Reputation: 234715

It's just a: the same field for any instance of the class. You can write someClass.a if you need an explicit disambiguation.

Consider carefully why you would want a non-static method that returns a static member though: it seems like a code "smell" to me.

Upvotes: 2

Parker_Halo
Parker_Halo

Reputation: 505

If you're inside the class you can access it by just calling a

From any other class you'll receive this static member by using someClass.a

Upvotes: 0

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