Generate variable name from a String

Question

I've got a String "MyVariable" and I need to reference a static variable named MyStaticClass.MyVariable. How do you turn a String into a variable name?

Answer 1

You can't easily do it... you can using reflection:
MyStaticClass.class.getField().getXXX("MyVariable") //depending on what type the field is...But this seems like it may be a flawed design. Maybe you should try making a static HashMap in the class, use a Static init block and static get/set methods:
public class StaticClass
    static Map properties;
    static
        properties = new HashMap();
        properties.put("MyVariable", "Some Value");
        properties.put("OtherVariable", new Integer(3));
    public static Object get(String property)
        return properties.get(property);
    public static void set(String property, Object value)
        //Maybe some code checking to make sure object is right type
        //or don't use a set method at all to make the properties immutable
        properties.put(property, value);
}