Question

For Objective-C, in the following header file:

@interface Peg : NSObject {
    char color;
}

@property char color;

I wonder if the member variable is already said to be a char type, then why does the @property has to repeat it? (or else it won’t compile). Couldn’t the compiler tell that it is char? It couldn’t be anything else, could it?

Answer 1

That is because generaly properties don’t have to be related to any declared instance variable of your class. You may have a property and not include a variable into your class header. That’s why you have to declare it’s type.

Using properties instead of variables makes your headers clean, hiding the implementation.

So, you can just declare a property and then @synthesize it

@interface Peg : NSObject

@property char color;


@implementation Peg

@synthesize color;

@end