What is the Meaning of Class Variables?
Class variables are variables that are shared across all instances of a class. They are declared outside of any method, constructor, or block, and are accessible to all methods and constructors in the class. Class variables are also known as static variables.
Class variables are typically used to store information that is common to all instances of a class, such as constants or configuration settings. For example, a class might have a class variable that stores the maximum number of items that can be stored in an instance of the class. This variable would be accessible to all instances of the class, so that they can all use the same value.
Class variables are also useful for creating static methods, which are methods that can be called without creating an instance of the class. These methods can be used to perform operations on class variables, such as incrementing or decrementing their values. They can also be used to create utility methods that can be used by all instances of the class.
Class variables are different from instance variables, which are variables that are specific to each instance of a class. Instance variables are declared inside of a constructor, and are accessible only to the methods and constructors of the class in which they are declared. Instance variables are typically used to store information that is specific to each instance of a class, such as the current state of the object.
In summary, class variables are variables that are shared across all instances of a class, and are typically used to store information that is common to all instances of a class. They are different from instance variables, which are variables that are specific to each instance of a class.