Static class members

Static type-name syntax, when it includes a package name, uses the same syntax as references to tables and fields, as shown in the following table.

Table 1. Table and static type-name syntax naming convention
Tables Static type-name syntax 
table.field
 
package.class
 
database.table.field
 
package.subpackage.class

This causes the namespaces of static type-name references to overlap with the namespaces of tables, buffers, and fields. For more information on static type-name syntax, see Access static members.

Note: The class member namespace design was added to make it easier to migrate your application from procedural-based to object-oriented. Your application might have taken advantage of the fact that ABL allows a number of data members to be named the same. This feature allows the same capability within a user-defined class.