objects and references

[le taylom]

Hi Guys,
This is a post to solidify my understanding and hopefully get some discussion comments back.
I have a class, call it MyClass, and I declare a reference variable to an object with class-scope:

class MyClass {
    private MyObject myObject = null;
    .
    .
    .
}

Within some other method, methodA, in my class I call methodB, and within methodB I instantiate the reference to myObject. Then from within methodA I call methodC, and use the object (calling its methods etc):

methodA() {
    methodB();
    methodC();
}
methodB() {
    myObject = new MyObject();
}
mehtodC() {
    myObject.someThing();
    myObject.someThingElse();
    myObject.someThingElseAgain();
}

So, is this the most object-oriented efficient way to do this?
Or is the most OO efficient way to do it like so:
Do not declare a reference with class-scope. Instead pass the reference of the object between the methods by copying the refernce into newly created objects:

void methodA() {
    MyObject myObject = methodB();
    methodC(myObject);
}
MyObject methodB() {
    // some stuff
    MyObject myObject = new MyObject();
    // other stuff
    return myObject;
}
void methodC() {
    myObject.someThing();
    myObject.someThingElse();
    myObject.someThingElseAgain();
}

What are the pros and cons of the two approaches?
Particularly the implications if I make changes to an object reference I have passed into another method etc.....
TIA
T

[Mr. C Lamont Gilbert]

The first method is the best method. BUt its not a question of object orientation or not. there is no need to pass around that variable. But for object orientatino you may have something like this.

class x
{
   MyObject myobject = null;
   void createMyObject(){
    myobject = new MyObject();
   }
   void MyObject getMyObject(){
   return myobject;
   }
   void do() {
    getMyObject().dothing();
     getMyObject().doOtherTHinh();
    }
}