Getter and Setter Methods

We use getter and setter methods for validation, to hide internal representation, expansion, and security.

Getter Methods

Creating Getter Methods:

When creating getter methods there is a common convention you should follow. When naming your getter methods you should always use this format: get[Variable Name] for the name. Some examples of this would be: getWidth();, getHeight(), and getColor(). Getter methods usually only return the variable we are trying to get. Here are some examples of how this would look:

private int width = 10;
private int height = 3;
private Color rectCol = Color.blue;

public int getWidth()
{
     return width;
}

public int getHeight()
{
     return height;
}

public Color getColor()
{
    return rectCol;
}

Setter Methods

Creating Setter Methods:

As with getter methods we use a common convention when creating setter methods. When creating setter methods you should always use: set[Variable Name]. Some common examples include: setWidth(int width), setHeight(int height), setColor(Color color). Here are some examples of how to create these setter methods:

private int width = 10;
private int height = 3;
private Color rectCol = Color.blue;

public void setWidth(int newWidth)
{
    width = newWidth;
}

public void setHeight(int newHeight)
{
    height = newHeight;
}

public void setColor(Color color)
{
    rectCol = color;
}