Initialize object in @Shared or setupSpec()

Question

What's the difference between:

@Shared
MyObject myObject = new MyObject()

and

MyObject myObject

def setupSpec() {
    myObject = new MyObjec()
}

Why should I use the @Shared annotation in the second example? Both are only created once, aren't they?

Answer 1

In your second example, you probably got this error:

Error:(22, 9) Groovyc: Only @Shared and static fields may be accessed from here

So you can choose one of those options:

1. use @Shared annotation and init field in one line

    @Shared
    MyObject myObject = new MyObject()
   

2. use static and init field in one line

    static MyObject myObject = new MyObject()
   

3. use @Shared annotation and init field inside setupSpec method

    @Shared
    MyObject myObject
   
    def setupSpec() {
        myObject = new MyObject()
    }
   

4. use static and init field inside setupSpec method

    static MyObject myObject
   
    def setupSpec() {
        myObject = new MyObject()
    }