Determining the "Scope" of Methods and Variables
Methods interact with variables and their associated
data. But a method cannot interact with just any variable. Certain methods
and variables are designed to work together. A method designates the variables
it wants to work with by exposing them using an EXPOSE instruction. The
exposed methods are called object variables. Exposing variables confines
them to an object; in object-oriented terms, we say they are encapsulated.
This protects the object variables' data from being changed by "unauthorized"
methods belonging to other objects.
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