What is the purpose of the 'this' keyword in OOP?

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What is the purpose of the 'this' keyword in OOP?

The 'this' keyword in Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is used to refer to the current instance of a class. It is a reference to the object on which a method or constructor is being invoked.

The main purpose of the 'this' keyword is to differentiate between instance variables and local variables within a class. It allows us to access and modify the instance variables of the current object. By using 'this', we can avoid naming conflicts between local variables and instance variables that have the same name.

Additionally, the 'this' keyword can be used to invoke other constructors within the same class. This is known as constructor chaining, where one constructor calls another constructor to initialize the object. By using 'this' in this context, we can reuse code and avoid duplicating initialization logic.

In summary, the 'this' keyword in OOP serves the purpose of referring to the current instance of a class, distinguishing between instance and local variables, and enabling constructor chaining.