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Groups > comp.lang.basic.visual.misc > #801

Re: What is a class?

From GS <gs@somewhere.net>
Newsgroups comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
Subject Re: What is a class?
Date 2012-02-25 22:55 -0500
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <jicag2$87f$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References (2 earlier) <a2936af3-3147-423b-8a74-262ddd837428@db5g2000vbb.googlegroups.com> <XnsA00492FC86A25auricauricauricauric@88.198.244.100> <m_WdnZ1BdOYv6NTSnZ2dnUVZ_jydnZ2d@giganews.com> <XnsA004CD148B656auricauricauricauric@88.198.244.100> <cLCdnTOc3IH0NdTSnZ2dnUVZ_tudnZ2d@giganews.com>

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Jim Mack wrote :
>> Jim Mack wrote:
>>
>>>>   Dim duck As monster
>>>>   Set duck = New monster
>>>> 
>>>> "Dim duck As New monster" is essentially the same thing as the above 2
>>>> lines.
>>> 
>>> For the purpose of this discussion, maybe. But "Dim As New" is frowned
>>> on because it adds an implicit 'is nothing' check on every reference to
>>> the object, and you lose control over the object lifetime.
>>
>> Interesting. First I've heard of it (but then, I don't use VB very much any 
>>  more, and can't recall having ever used VB for "serious" OOP).
>>
>> Is this documented anywhere? Help file, MSDN, whatever?
>
> The help files do mention it, but obliquely. What is said (from memory) is 
> that when you 'Dim As New' the object is not immediately created, as it would 
> be if you did a Dim followed by a Set = New, but rather is instantiated on 
> first reference.
>
> The obvious question is, how does it know which is the first reference? It 
> knows that because _every_ reference contains a check to see if it's been 
> created yet -- the implicit 'is nothing' check I mentioned.
>
> What follows from that is that you can't then legitimately test "If x Is 
> Nothing" yourself, because doing so references X, and so creates it... that's 
> how you lose (some) control over object lifetime.

I thought that the object created by "Dim As New" existed until the 
exit from the scope they were created in. So...

In a procedure: (local scope)
Dim colItems As New Collection
..lives for the entire procedure if not explicitly destroyed beforhand.

In a module: (module scope)
Dim colItems As New Collection
..lives for the duration code executes within the module if not 
explicitly destroyed beforhand.

Global scope:
Dim colItems As New Collection
..lives for the entire runtime if not explicitly destroyed beforhand.

Also, I've created objects in this manner, tested them other than "If 
colItems Is Nothing" via ways like "If colItems.Count > 0" so I know if 
the created instance exists. Also, creating a new instance by using "If 
colItems Is Nothing" doesn't cause any problems when you access its 
items later, indicating VB is not at all confused about which 
'instance' you're referring to.

-- 
Garry

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Thread

What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-24 04:02 -0800
  Re: What is a class? "Auric__" <not.my.real@email.address> - 2012-02-24 14:06 +0000
    Re: What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-25 03:07 -0800
      Re: What is a class? Helmut_Meukel <Helmut_Meukel@bn-hof.invalid> - 2012-02-25 14:19 +0100
      Re: What is a class? "Auric__" <not.my.real@email.address> - 2012-02-25 21:26 +0000
        Re: What is a class? Jim Mack <no-uce-ube@mdxi.com> - 2012-02-25 18:58 -0500
          Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-25 19:39 -0500
          Re: What is a class? "Auric__" <not.my.real@email.address> - 2012-02-26 03:09 +0000
            Re: What is a class? Jim Mack <no-uce-ube@mdxi.com> - 2012-02-25 22:35 -0500
              Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-25 22:55 -0500
                Re: What is a class? "Farnsworth" <nospam@nospam.com> - 2012-02-25 23:27 -0500
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-26 01:30 -0500
                Re: What is a class? "Auric__" <not.my.real@email.address> - 2012-02-26 04:41 +0000
                Re: What is a class? ralph <nt_consulting64@yahoo.net> - 2012-02-25 23:05 -0600
                Re: What is a class? "Henning" <computer_hero@coldmail.com> - 2012-02-26 11:24 +0100
                Re: What is a class? ralph <nt_consulting64@yahoo.net> - 2012-02-25 23:03 -0600
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-26 01:26 -0500
                Re: What is a class? "Stuart McCall" <smccall@myunrealbox.com> - 2012-02-27 04:15 +0000
                Re: What is a class? ralph <nt_consulting64@yahoo.net> - 2012-02-27 00:48 -0600
                Re: What is a class? "Mayayana" <mayayana@invalid.nospam> - 2012-02-27 08:57 -0500
                Re: What is a class? "Stuart McCall" <smccall@myunrealbox.com> - 2012-02-27 19:19 +0000
                Re: What is a class? "Stuart McCall" <smccall@myunrealbox.com> - 2012-02-27 19:12 +0000
                Re: What is a class? "Bob Butler" <bob_butler@cox.invalid> - 2012-02-27 06:06 -0800
                Re: What is a class? "Stuart McCall" <smccall@myunrealbox.com> - 2012-02-27 19:24 +0000
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-27 11:01 -0500
                Re: What is a class? ralph <nt_consulting64@yahoo.net> - 2012-02-27 11:07 -0600
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-27 13:10 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Schmidt <sss@online.de> - 2012-02-27 19:09 +0100
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-27 13:29 -0500
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-27 14:43 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Schmidt <sss@online.de> - 2012-02-27 22:14 +0100
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-27 16:45 -0500
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-27 18:23 -0500
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-27 23:26 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Schmidt <sss@online.de> - 2012-02-28 13:54 +0100
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-28 08:37 -0500
                Re: What is a class? ralph <nt_consulting64@yahoo.net> - 2012-02-28 09:19 -0600
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-28 10:42 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Schmidt <sss@online.de> - 2012-02-29 06:47 +0100
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-29 09:39 -0500
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-29 13:33 -0500
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-29 14:43 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Schmidt <sss@online.de> - 2012-02-29 21:39 +0100
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-29 16:15 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Schmidt <sss@online.de> - 2012-02-29 23:20 +0100
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-28 00:16 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Jim Mack <no-uce-ube@mdxi.com> - 2012-02-27 13:26 -0500
                Re: What is a class? "Stuart McCall" <smccall@myunrealbox.com> - 2012-02-27 19:33 +0000
                Re: What is a class? Jim Mack <no-uce-ube@mdxi.com> - 2012-02-27 15:50 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Helmut_Meukel <Helmut_Meukel@bn-hof.invalid> - 2012-02-26 11:02 +0100
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-26 14:23 -0500
                Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-26 17:09 -0500
            Re: What is a class? ralph <nt_consulting64@yahoo.net> - 2012-02-25 22:21 -0600
              Re: What is a class? "Auric__" <not.my.real@email.address> - 2012-02-26 04:51 +0000
                Re: What is a class? ralph <nt_consulting64@yahoo.net> - 2012-02-25 23:10 -0600
        Re: What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-26 04:11 -0800
          Re: What is a class? Helmut_Meukel <Helmut_Meukel@bn-hof.invalid> - 2012-02-26 16:37 +0100
          Re: What is a class? "Auric__" <not.my.real@email.address> - 2012-02-26 18:36 +0000
            Re: What is a class? ralph <nt_consulting64@yahoo.net> - 2012-02-26 14:11 -0600
            Re: What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-27 03:11 -0800
              Re: What is a class? "Auric__" <not.my.real@email.address> - 2012-02-27 16:33 +0000
                Re: What is a class? Jim Mack <no-uce-ube@mdxi.com> - 2012-02-27 13:33 -0500
                Re: What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-28 04:07 -0800
    Re: What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-25 03:33 -0800
    Re: What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-25 04:19 -0800
  Re: What is a class? "Ivar" <ivar.ekstromer000@ntlworld.com> - 2012-02-24 15:15 +0000
    Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-24 14:52 -0500
      Re: What is a class? "Ivar" <ivar.ekstromer000@ntlworld.com> - 2012-02-24 23:10 +0000
        Re: What is a class? GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-24 19:46 -0500
          Re: What is a class Way off Topic "Ivar" <ivar.ekstromer000@ntlworld.com> - 2012-02-25 02:20 +0000
            Re: What is a class Way off Topic GS <gs@somewhere.net> - 2012-02-25 16:57 -0500
        Re: What is a class? Helmut_Meukel <Helmut_Meukel@bn-hof.invalid> - 2012-02-25 11:36 +0100
    Re: What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-25 03:35 -0800
  Re: What is a class? Jim Mack <no-uce-ube@mdxi.com> - 2012-02-24 15:23 -0500
    Re: What is a class? "Auric__" <not.my.real@email.address> - 2012-02-25 01:33 +0000
    Re: What is a class? Peter Nolan <peter.nolan40@gmail.com> - 2012-02-25 03:09 -0800
  Re: What is a class? "Mayayana" <mayayana@invalid.nospam> - 2012-02-24 20:05 -0500

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