Any developers out there coming from ActionScript or Java background like me, the default access modifiers and function return type in Haxe are a bit different. So let’s have a quick look at them in classes, interfaces and externs.

Classes:

• Default access modifier is private if none specified.
• Default function return value type is Void if there is no return expression or if the return expression has no argument.

package ;
class Test {

	//private variable
	var _count:Int;
	
	//constructor
	public function new() {
	
	}
	
	//private function
	//no return expression, so return value type is Void
	function _increaseCount() {
		_count++;
	}
	
	//private function
	//return expression has no argument, so return value type is Void
	function _resetCount() {
		if (_count < 10) return;
		_count = 0;
	}
}

Interfaces and Externs:

• Default access modifier is public.
• Specifying return value type is compulsory for functions. Failing so will result in compile time error Type required for extern classes and interfaces

package ;
interface ITest {

	//public variable
	var count:Int;
	
	//public function
	function increaseCount():Void;
}

When implementing the above interface you need to specify public access modifier to variable count and function increaseCount as shown below. Failing so will result in the following compile time errors.

• Field count should be public as requested by ITest
• Field increaseCount should be public as requested by ITest.

package ;
class Test implements ITest {

	public var count:Int = 10;
	
	public function increaseCount():Void {
		count++;
	}
}

Interesting fact from the official documentation about protected:

Haxe has no protected keyword like in ActionScript, Java, etc. However, its private behavior is equal to those language’s protected behavior, so in reality Haxe lacks in private behavior.