VB.NET Language in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Name

Me Operator

Syntax

Me

Description

Represents a reference to the current class from within the class

Rules at a Glance

• Me is an explicit reference to the current object as defined by the Class...End Class construct.

• Me corresponds to the C++ this operator.

Example

In this example, a class passes an instance of itself to a function outside the class by using the Me operator.

Private Class CCounter

Private lCtr As Long = 1

Public ReadOnly Property Value
   Get
      Value = lCtr
   End Get
End Property

Public Sub Increment(  )
   lCtr += 1
End Sub

Public Function ShowCount(  ) As Long
   ShowCount = ShowObjectValue(Me)
End Function

End Class

Module modMain

Public Sub Main
   Dim oCtr = New CCounter
   oCtr.Increment
   oCtr.Increment
   MsgBox("Count: " & oCtr.ShowCount)
End Sub

Public Function ShowObjectValue(oObj As Object) AS Object
   ShowObjectValue = oObj.Value
End Function

End Module

Programming Tips and Gotchas

• The Me operator can’t be used on the left side of an expression.

• Me is particularly useful when passing an instance of the current class as a parameter to a routine outside the class.

See Also

MyClass Keyword