I have an iPad app in which I'm setting the shadow color of a UILabel in a UIView's initWithFrame: method. When I use the following syntax:

m_label.shadowColor = [UIColor colorWithWhite:1.0 alpha:0.5];

I get this compiler error:

Expected identifier before '[' token

However, when I use the following syntax:

[m_label setShadowColor:[UIColor colorWithWhite:1.0 alpha:0.5]];

It compiles without complaint.

Using property syntax for other properties of the UILabel is working fine (shadowOffset, autoresizingMask, backgroundColor, font, textColor, etc.).

Incidentally, I get the same error message when the statement is simply this:

m_label.shadowColor;

Whereas this, for example, gives no error:

m_label.shadowOffset;

FWIW, the entire method looks like this:

#define shadowColor        [UIColor colorWithWhite:1.00 alpha:0.5]
#define selectedColor      [UIColor colorWithWhite:0.25 alpha:1.0]
#define unselectedColor    [UIColor colorWithWhite:0.45 alpha:1.0]
#define CLOSEBUTTON_WIDTH  26.0
#define CLOSEBUTTON_HEIGHT 26.0

- (id)initWithFrame:(CGRect)frame 
{
    if ((self = [super initWithFrame:frame])) 
    {
        m_imageView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0.0, 0.0, self.frame.size.width, self.frame.size.height)];
        m_imageView.autoresizingMask = UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleWidth | UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleHeight;
        m_imageView.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];
        m_imageView.image = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"tab.png"] stretchableImageWithLeftCapWidth:8.0 topCapHeight:0.0];
        m_imageView.highlightedImage = [[UIImage imageNamed:@"tabSelected.png"] stretchableImageWithLeftCapWidth:8.0 topCapHeight:0.0];

        m_label = [[UILabel alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectZero];
        m_label.autoresizingMask = UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleWidth | UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleHeight;
        m_label.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];
        m_label.font = [UIFont boldSystemFontOfSize:12.0];
        m_label.textColor = unselectedColor;
        m_label.shadowOffset = CGSizeMake(0.0, 1.0);
        m_label.shadowColor = shadowColor; // Expected identifier before '[' token
        [m_label setShadowColor:shadowColor];

        m_closeButton = [[UIButton alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(9.0, 1.0, CLOSEBUTTON_WIDTH, CLOSEBUTTON_HEIGHT)];
        [m_closeButton setBackgroundImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"tabClose.png"] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        [m_closeButton addTarget:self action:@selector(closeTab) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];

        [self addSubview:m_imageView];
        [self addSubview:m_label];
        [self addSubview:m_closeButton];

        self.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];
    }
    return self;
}

Any ideas?