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Getters and Setters 3599 - Chuck Norris Cipher Encoder (Java)

Getters and setters are used to control access to private fields in a class through public methods, following conventions like "get" for reading and "set" for writing; they encapsulate data and can add validation to field changes while hiding implementation details from external classes; IDEs can automatically generate getters and setters according to field names and types to reduce boilerplate code.

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Gilberto Concha Escobar
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31 views

Getters and Setters 3599 - Chuck Norris Cipher Encoder (Java)

Getters and setters are used to control access to private fields in a class through public methods, following conventions like "get" for reading and "set" for writing; they encapsulate data and can add validation to field changes while hiding implementation details from external classes; IDEs can automatically generate getters and setters according to field names and types to reduce boilerplate code.

Uploaded by

Gilberto Concha Escobar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Getters and setters 3599 - Chuck Norris Cipher Encoder (Java)

Getters and setters.


Theory.
4 minutes reading.

In most cases, a class does not expose its fields to other classes. Instead, it
makes its fields accessible through so called accessor methods. In this topic, you
will learn what advantages this approach offers and how to use it properly.

1. Data encapsulation.
According to the data encapsulation principle, the fields of a class cannot be
directly accessed from other classes. The fields can be accessed only through the
methods of that particular class.
To access hidden fields, programmers write special types of methods: getters and
setters. Getters can only read fields, and setters can only write (modify) the
fields. Both types of methods should be public.
Using these methods gives us some advantages:
the fields of a class can be made read-only, write-only, or both;
a class can have total control over what values are stored in the fields;
users of a class don't know how the class stores its data and don't depend on the
fields.

2. Getters and setters.


Java doesn't provide any special keywords for getter and setter methods. Their main
difference from other methods is their names.
According to the JavaBeans Convention:
getters start with get, followed by the variable name, with the first letter of the
variable name capitalized;
setters start with set, followed by the variable name, with the first letter of the
variable name capitalized.
This convention applies to any type except boolean. A getter for a boolean field
starts with is, followed by the variable name.
Example 1. The class Account has four fields: id, code, balance and enabled. Each
field has a keyword private to hide the field from direct access from other
classes. Also, the class has public getters and setters for accessing fields
through these methods.
class Account.
private long id;
private, String code;
private, long balance;
private, boolean enabled.
public, long getId().
return id.
public, void setId(long id).
this.id = id.
public, String getCode().
return code.
public, void setCode(String, code).
this.code = code.
public, long getBalance().
return balance.
public, void setBalance(long, balance).
this.balance = balance.
public, boolean isEnabled().
return enabled.
public, void setEnabled(boolean, enabled).
this.enabled = enabled.
Here you can see the different getters and setters for the class Account. Just as
the convention states, the boolean field enabled has a different getter name: it
starts with the word is instead of get.
Let's create an instance of the class and fill the fields, then read values from
the fields and output them.
Account account = new Account().
account.setId(1000);
account.setCode("62968503812");
account.setBalance(100_000_000);
account.setEnabled(true);
System.out.println(account.getId()); 1000.
System.out.println(account.getCode()); 62968503812.
System.out.println(account.getBalance()); 100000000.
System.out.println(account.isEnabled()); true.
Sometimes, getters or setters can contain a more sophisticated logic. For example,
getters may return non-stored values (calculated at runtime), or setters may also
in some cases modify the value of another field according to changes. But usually,
getters and setters have a minimum of programming logic.
Example 2. In the following class, the setter setName doesn't change the current
value if the passed value is null.
class Patient.
private String name;
public, Patient(String name).
this.name = name.
public, String getName().
return this.name.
public, void setName(String, name).
if (name != null).
this.name = name.

3. Conclusion.
To restrict access to fields from external code, make them private and write
suitable getters/setters to read/change only the fields you need. Do not forget to
make use of the naming convention when writing them.
Note, modern IDEs (such as IntelliJ IDEA) can generate getters and setters
automatically based on class fields.

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