Is there a way to reference `self` or something equivalent i

Question

Is there a way to reference `self` or something equivalent in a constructor of a data class such that you could do something like ``` abstract class A abstract name String data class B override val name String = self class simpleName A val b = B print b name B ```

Shawn · Answer

you can still use `this` in this case

Shawn · Answer

are you running into a type mismatch error if you do

Shawn · Answer

`simpleName` is `String ` rather than `String` so you ll need a default or ` ` if you like living dangerously

Stefan Peterson · Answer

Ah whoops left something out of my example I am implementing an interface and yes you are right about the optional

Stefan Peterson · Answer

Updated the code snippet to be more accurate sorry about that

Shawn · Answer

no worries

Shawn · Answer

ahh you re running into a different issue

Shawn · Answer

a couple of them actually

Shawn · Answer

you can t have abstract properties in the constructor

Shawn · Answer

doing so would make them concrete not abstract

Shawn · Answer

``` abstract class A abstract val name String data class B override val name String = this class simpleName A ``` is valid

bloder · Answer

I m trying using `this` but is showing me that `this is not defined in this context` are u getting to do that with `this`

Shawn · Answer

it s evaluating just fine in a scratch file let me double check in a normal ` kt` lad

Shawn · Answer

ahh it looks like I am the big dumb `this` evaluates just fine within the scratch file because it resolves to the outer class that the scratch file code technically resides in

bloder · Answer

that s weird because I thought in a data class constructor I ve already able to use its reference thinking face

Shawn · Answer

well sort of just not through `this`

Shawn · Answer

this works ``` data class B override val name String = B class simpleName A ```

Shawn · Answer

it makes sense that you can t access `this` within the constructor because an instance hasn t been instantiated yet

Shawn · Answer

also just for the record and those playing along at home data classes are really not special in almost any regard except for autogenerated methods `toString ` `equals ` `hashCode ` `copy ` and property only constructors they act just like regular classes in this instance and you should assume they do in most cases

Stefan Peterson · Answer

Ah yes I had discovers I could do it by doing `B class simpleName` was just hoping for something a little nicer Thanks all And yea I am using `data class` here specifically for the `copy` feature