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Einar Mikalsen
5,281 PointsNot sure if I understand new PezDispenser
This may seem incredibly stupid, but I have understood this correctly.
PezDispenser dispenser = new PezDispenser();
"In the PezDispenser file there is a class called PezDispenser and from this class we want to create a new object called dispenser"
3 Answers
Brendon Butler
4,254 PointsThere are four main parts to this line. You start off by telling the compiler what type of object you have. In this case, it's a PezDispenser object.
The next part is an identifier for your object. A way for you to reference and manipulate it. In this case, it's called "dispenser." You could name it whatever you want. For example, it could be "pezDispenser," "yoda," etc. As long as it makes sense to you and anyone that may read your code.
Then, you can either end the line here with a colon or set the value of new variable you've created. Here, we're creating a new instance of the object. So you'd add "new" for a new instance.
Lastly, you want to reference the class name and its constructor. In this case, it would be PezDispenser().
Here are some examples
// creating a new instance of a PezDispenser.
PezDispenser dispenser = new PezDispenser();
// duplicating an existing instance of a PezDispenser
PezDispenser dispenser2 = dispenser;
/* Using one of these dispensers
you must use the variable name as a reference to the PezDispenser instance */
dispenser.dispense();
// you'll see this in a later tutorial.
Hopefully this helps, I wrote it pretty quickly. Happy coding!
Mladen Jovanovic
4,662 PointsQuick question, here, though: couldn't he have just stated that a PezDispenser object exists and that it's named "dispenser", without specifying that it's a new PezDispenser object?
Basically, what I'm saying is, would just writing "PezDispenser dispenser;" be different than writing "PezDispenser dispenser = new PezDispenser();"?
Brendon Butler
4,254 PointsYes, it would be different. ‘PezDispenser dispenser;’ only references the PezDispenser class. Depending on how the class is set up, you could be able to use it this way, but in this case that’s not it’s intended use.
‘PezDispenser dispenser = new PezDispenser();’ creates a new instance of the PezDispenser class. Which in this case calls the class contructor method. This method is used to initiate variables and build the object.
Having instances of classes has many benefits. One being that you can (in this example) have multiple types of Pez dispensers.
Mladen Jovanovic
4,662 PointsCool! Thanks for the clarification!