WebSphere Message Service Clients for C/C++ and .NET, Version 1.2 Operating Systems: Linux, Windows

Attributes and properties of objects

An XMS object can have attributes and properties, which are characteristics of the object. Attributes and properties, however, are implemented in different ways.

Attributes
An attribute of an object is always present and occupies storage, even if the attribute does not have a value. In this respect, an attribute is similar in concept to a field in a fixed length data structure. Another distinguishing feature is that each attribute has its own methods for setting and getting its value.
Properties
A property of an object is present and occupies storage only after its value is set. However, a property cannot be deleted, and the storage recovered, after its value has been set, although you can change its value. Each individual property does not have its own methods for setting and getting its value. Instead, XMS provides a set of generic methods for setting and getting the values of properties.

Concept topic

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Last updated: 7 Dec 2005

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