Re: masks and enums
Steve Wampler wrote:
Roedy Green wrote:
On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:30:17 GMT, Wojtek <nowhere@a.com> wrote, quoted
or indirectly quoted someone who said :
I am curious about this statement: "Normally it would be public in
its own *.java file".
I usually place the enum on the class which uses it:
1. I though there was a limit of one public class per *.java file.
Nested classes can be public.
I think that's right, also. My best guess is that 'public enum' is
indeed a different entity than 'public class' and so operates under
different rules.
The OP nested his enum.
I'm not sure I like this, if true. I would have expected references
to an 'embedded' enum to behave like other class entities. That is,
references for:
public class Foo {
public enum CompareType {
would have needed to be qualified as Foo.CompareType, ala inner classes.
That's the syntax for non-inner nested classes, not for inner classes. Inner
classes need an enclosing instance, e.g., "new Foo().CompareType".
Not that it really matters, since it's a done deed, apparently.
Inner classes don't have to be qualified by the enclosing instance when
referred to from the enclosing instance.
Which begs the question of why this particular inner enum is public in the
first place.
The OP's philosophy of always making such enums inner (why not static nested?)
is certainly open to debate. Endless debate, perhaps - the use of inner
classes generally is a black art and controversial to some.
--
Lew