Accessor Methods in Java

Question

So I have a question on \"setter\" and \"getter\" methods and how useful they are or aren\'t.

Let\'s say I just write a very basic program like the following:

<

Answer 1

With trivial accessor methods, there is no difference except style, but you can also execute code with them, for example:

public void setName(String name) {
    if (name == null) {
        throw new IllegalArgumentException("Name may not be null");
    }
    this.name = name;
}

You can also return copies from a getter, thus protecting your data:

private List middleNames;
public List getMiddleNames() {
    return new ArrayList(middleNames); // return a copy
    // The caller can modify the returned list without affecting your data
}

These are just two simple examples, but there are limitless examples of how accessor methods can be used.

It is better to follow a consistent style, so that's why we always use getters/setters - so code this like may be executed if needed.