All Types of Custom Variables in Sketchware Pro (Public, Private, Protected, Static)

All Types of Custom Variables in Sketchware Pro

In Sketchware Pro (and Java for Android), a custom variable is a piece of memory that stores data. You can use variables to store numbers, text, lists, or even Android objects. The visibility and accessibility of a variable depend on its modifier — for example, public or private.

🔹 Access Modifiers Overview

Modifier	Who Can Access	Common Use
public	Any other class	Shared/global data
private	Only inside this class	Internal variables (recommended default)
protected	This class + subclasses	Used when extending classes
(none)	Classes in the same package	Rarely used in Android
static	Shared across all instances	Global constants or counters

🔹 Basic Data Type Variables

private int count = 0;              // Whole numbers

private float price = 0.0f;         // Decimal numbers

private double total = 0.0;         // High precision decimals

private boolean isActive = false;   // True or false

private char grade = 'A';           // Single character

🔹 String and Object Variables

private String username = "Guest";        // Text value

private File rootFolder = Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory(); // File path

private ArrayList<String> userList = new ArrayList<>(); // List of items

private HashMap<String, Object> userData = new HashMap<>(); // Key-value pairs

🔹 Android-Specific Types

private MediaPlayer player = new MediaPlayer();  // For playing audio

private Intent intent = new Intent();            // Used to start new activities

private Handler handler = new Handler();         // For running tasks later

private WebView webview1;                        // For displaying web pages

private Toast toast;                             // For showing messages

🔹 Public, Protected, and Static Examples

public String BOT_TOKEN = "";      // Accessible from anywhere

protected MediaPlayer bgPlayer;    // Accessible in subclasses

public static int totalUsers = 0;  // Shared across all instances

public static final String APP_VERSION = "1.0.0"; // Constant value

🔹 Combined Example: Mixed Variable Types

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    // Private variables (safe, local)

    private int uploadCount = 0;

    private boolean isUploading = false;

    private String caption = "Auto Upload";

    private ArrayList<String> imagePaths = new ArrayList<>();

    // Public variables (accessible anywhere)

    public String CHAT_ID = "";

    public File rootFolder = Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(Environment.DIRECTORY_PICTURES);

    // Protected variable (accessible in subclasses)

    protected MediaPlayer player = new MediaPlayer();

    // Static variables (global/shared)

    public static int totalUploads = 0;

    public static String APP_VERSION = "1.0.0";

    // Android objects

    private Handler handler = new Handler();

    private JSONObject configData = null;

}

🔹 Required Imports (if you use these types)

import java.io.File;

import java.util.ArrayList;

import java.util.HashMap;

import org.json.JSONObject;

import android.os.Environment;

import android.os.Handler;

import android.media.MediaPlayer;

Tip: In Sketchware, when you drag components (like Button, WebView, or MediaPlayer) into your project, Sketchware automatically generates their corresponding custom variables for you. You only need to manually add extra custom variables for your own logic or data handling.

✅ Quick Reference Table

Modifier	Type	Example	Use Case
private	int	uploadCount = 0;	Local number tracking
private	boolean	isUploading = false;	True/false state
public	String	BOT_TOKEN = "";	Telegram bot token
protected	MediaPlayer	player = new MediaPlayer();	Subclass audio player
public static	int	totalUploads = 0;	Global counter
private	ArrayList<String>	imagePaths = new ArrayList<>();	Dynamic list

🧩 Author Tip: Use private by default. Make variables public or static only when truly needed for sharing or global state.

📘 Written for Sketchware Pro users who want to understand every type of variable in Android Java.