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Java Setters and Getters

 In object-oriented programming, setters and getters are methods used to set and retrieve the values of the private fields (attributes) of a class, respectively. They provide a way to encapsulate the internal state of an object, enabling controlled access to its data.

Here's a simple Java class with private fields, setters, and getters:

public class Person { private String name; private int age; // Setter for name public void setName(String name) { this.name = name; } // Getter for name public String getName() { return name; } // Setter for age public void setAge(int age) { this.age = age; } // Getter for age public int getAge() { return age; } }

Explanation:

  1. private String name; and private int age;: These are private fields of the Person class. They cannot be accessed directly from outside the class.

  2. public void setName(String name): This is the setter method for the name field. It allows setting the value of the name field from outside the class.

  3. public String getName(): This is the getter method for the name field. It returns the value of the name field.

  4. public void setAge(int age): This is the setter method for the age field.

  5. public int getAge(): This is the getter method for the age field.

Now, let's see how you can use these setters and getters:

public class Main { public static void main(String[] args) { Person person = new Person(); // Using setters to set values person.setName("Alice"); person.setAge(30); // Using getters to retrieve values System.out.println("Name: " + person.getName()); System.out.println("Age: " + person.getAge()); } }

In this example:

  • We create a new Person object.
  • We use the setter methods setName() and setAge() to set the name and age fields of the person object.
  • We use the getter methods getName() and getAge() to retrieve the values of the name and age fields and print them.