I have created a class that creates a particle child. Is it possible to refer to this class via the particle? Or even this parent's attributes?

I think this is elementary question and the answer is probably no, but I could use this if it is in fact possible.

thanks for the help in advance.

thanks PhiLho. Again, your help is invaluable...

Before hearing from you I was considering creating a new Edge or Spring class as a parent to the Particle system's springs to be able to categorize each spring in my list of springs within my particle system. I was trying to somehow encode each spring based on the particles to which they are connected - but it's actually the parent class that is holding the data. So in theory each spring could be categorized if they had a parent class with fields for doing this, no?

I had no idea that anything could be inherited like that...so useful

In that case I think you should create a 'setParent(Parent p)'
method in particle class,

and when in the Parent class a Particle is created
Particle p1 = new Particle();
instead, you do this :
Particle p1 = new Particle(this);

...
inside the Particle class, you do:
class Particle {
private Parent p;
//add a new  constructor
public Particle(Parent pParent){
this.p = pParent;
// -- do other stuff you normally do in
// the constructor
}


PhilHo, is this in line with your solution ?

wow...so I can extend it in other ways? this might solve a whole bunch of problems.

I will try it tomorrow...thanks so much!