Objective-c, how to access an instance variable from another class

Question

I am used to programming in Java and to use class variables to access data from other classes. Then I found out that class variables does not work the same way in Obj-C, and are having problems with that.

My problem is that i want to access the user inputted password in another class after the user is logged in. Have read in different forums and such that I should use class methods (+) to access these data. But because I need to create a new instance of the first class in class two it means that the inputted password does not exist in the new instance of class one.

My code is as follows:

class1.h

@interface class1 : UIViewController {
    UITextField *usernameField;
    UITextField *passwordField;
        UIButton *loginButton;
        NSString *password;
}

@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutlet UITextField *usernameField;
@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutlet UITextField *passwordField;
@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutlet UIButton *loginButton;
@property (nonatomic, retain) NSString *password;

-(IBAction) loginButtonPushed;
+(NSString *)password;

@end

class1.m

#import "viewSwitcherViewController.h"

@implementation viewSwitcherViewController

@synthesize usernameField;
@synthesize passwordField;
@synthesize loginButton;
@synthesize password; // not needed

-(IBAction) loginButtonPushed {
        password = passwordField.text; //not needed
    // ...Code for switching view if successful login... EDITED:
    class2 *c2 = [class2 alloc] init]; //Instantiating new class2 object
    c2.password = passwordField.text; //Assigning tekst from passworField to thePassword-variable in the class2 instance.
}

class2.m

#import "class2.h"
#import "class1.h"

@implementation class2

@synthesize thePassword; //NSString variable

// this method is also not needed
-(void) someMethodUsingPassword {
         class1 *c1 = [[class1 alloc] init];
         thePassword = [c1 password];
         NSLog(@"The password is: %@", thePassword); //This call returns null
}

So my problem is that the c1 instance created in class2 does not hold the submitted password and therefore returns "null".

Maybe this is just my Java approach messing it up, but I couldn't find any other way so please help:)!

Answer 1

A public class variable in Java is equivalent to a global variable in C and Objective-C. You would implement it as:

class1.h

extern NSString* MyGlobalPassword;

class1.m

NSString* MyGlobalPassword = nil;

Then, anyone that imports class1.h can read and write to MyGlobalPassword.

A slightly better approach would be make it accessible via a "class method".

class1.h:

@interface Class1 : UIViewController {
    UITextField *usernameField;
    UITextField *passwordField;
    UIButton *loginButton;    
}
+ (NSString*)password;
@end

class1.m:

static NSString* myStaticPassword = nil;

@implementation Class1
+ (NSString*)password {
    return myStaticPassword;
}

- (void)didClickLoginButton:(id)sender {
    [myStaticPassword release];
    myStaticPassword = [passwordField.text retain];
}

Other classes would then read the password through the password class method.

Class2.m :

-(void) someMethodUsingPassword {
     thePassword = [Class1 password]; // This is how to call a Class Method in Objective C
     NSLog(@"The password is: %@", thePassword); 
}