Using the Java keyword 'This'

Michael;

This is a great question and it kind of boils down to somewhat of a style preference if you are referring to variables with the same name. That's not your exact question, but here's an example of the difference:

class SomeClass {
    private final String name;

    public SomeClass(final String name) {
        this.name = name;
    }
}

In this example the variable named name is a member variable in the class SomeClass and in the function (Constructor) it is assigned to the argument passed in. You need to utilize the keyword this so that the member variable name is assigned to the argument variable name that was passed into the function.

From a functional standpoint you could also do:

class SomeClass {
    private final String mName;

    public SomeClass(final String name) {
        mName = name;
    }
}

This will produce the same results. Can you see how, in this example, mName and this.name are referencing the same memory slot in the computer?

Some people don't like a bunch of prefixes and they prefer to go with this.name, others find mName easier to read. It really kind of depends on the developer and the company for whom they are working. You tend to find the m prefix used a lot in Android development.

I hope that offers some insight in addition to the answers Chris Casey and Chris Howell provided.

Happy coding,

Ken