Object Variable Declaration
You use a normal declaration statement to declare an object variable, but for the data type, you specify either Object or the object class . The object class is the specific class from which the object is to be instantiated. When you declare a variable with a specific object class, it can access all the methods and properties exposed by that class. If you declare the variable with Object , it can use only the members of the Object class.
Use the following syntax to declare an object variable:
DCLFLD *variablename* *New { *objectclass* | Object}
You can also use *Protected, *Internal, *Private, *Public for the declaration.
Sometimes the object class is not known until the procedure runs. In this case, you must declare the object variable with the *Object data type.
Declaring an object variable as a specific object class gives you several advantages:
- Automatic type checking.
- Improved readability.
- Fewer errors in your code.
- Faster code execution.
Flexibility of Object Variables
When working with objects in an inheritance hierarchy, you have a choice of which class to use for declaring your object variables. In making this choice, you must balance flexibility of object assignment against access to a class’s members.