Why Use Getters and Setters in Object-Oriented Programming?

Understanding Getters and Setters in Programming

Getters and setters are essential concepts in object-oriented programming that allow controlled access to object properties.

What are Getters and Setters?

• Getter: A method that retrieves the value of a private property in an object.
• Setter: A method that updates the value of a private property in an object.

Benefits of Using Getters and Setters:

• Encapsulation: Protecting object properties from direct access outside the class, enhancing data integrity.
• Validation: Performing validation on input values before setting them, preventing invalid data from being stored.
• Computation: Calculating or modifying property values based on other values within the object.

Simple Examples:

Consider a JavaScript object named Person:

class Person {
  private name;
  private age;

  constructor(name, age) {
    this.name = name;
    this.age = age;
  }

  get name() {
    return this.name;
  }

  set name(newName) {
    // Validate new name before assignment
    if (newName.length > 0) {
      this.name = newName;
    }
  }

  get age() {
    return this.age;
  }

  set age(newAge) {
    // Validate new age before assignment
    if (newAge >= 0) {
      this.age = newAge;
    }
  }
}

In this example, the properties name and age are private and can be accessed and updated via getters and setters.

When to Use Getters and Setters:

• When you want to control access to private properties.
• When you need to validate and process input values.
• When you want to perform computations or transformations on property values.

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