Hibernate Annotations - Which is better, field or property access?

Question

This question is somewhat related to Hibernate Annotation Placement Question.

But I want to know which is better? Access via properties or access vi

Answer 1

I prefer accessors, since I can add some business logic to my accessors whenever I need. Here's an example:

@Entity
public class Person {

  @Column("nickName")
  public String getNickName(){
     if(this.name != null) return generateFunnyNick(this.name);
     else return "John Doe";
  }
}

Besides, if you throw another libs into the mix (like some JSON-converting lib or BeanMapper or Dozer or other bean mapping/cloning lib based on getter/setter properties) you'll have the guarantee that the lib is in sync with the persistence manager (both use the getter/setter).