Setters & Getters

Setters and getters are methods that help us safely access and change the data inside a class. They control how we read and update the private data (or “attributes”) of a class.

What Are Setters and Getters?

Setters set the value of a private variable in a controlled way. Getters get the value of a private variable.

When naming these methods, it’s common to start setters with set (like setName) and getters with get (like getName). This makes it clear which methods are for setting values and which are for getting them, keeping your code easier to read and understand.

Using setters and getters allows us to keep our data secure and ensure only safe changes are made.

Going forward, all member variables in classes should be private. This means that the variables cannot be accessed directly from outside the class. Instead, we’ll use setters and getters to manage access to these variables. This is part of a principle called encapsulation, which keeps data safe and well-organized.