Re: Tool for inlining useless getter/setter call
Patrick May wrote:
Lew <lew@lewscanon.com> writes:
Patrick May wrote:
Jack <mlskqd@poqsd.com> writes:
is there a tool to inline "useless" getter call:
* simple getter (return field;) or setter (this.field = arg)
* called in the class that contain the field
* getter/setter is not overloaded, and does not overlead (in the
current code)
I would like to inline these call automatically in all my java code.
How about not creating those "useless" methods in the first
place?
As a rule, getters and setters should be avoided unless
absolutely necessary. They should certainly not be created as a
matter of course.
Disregard that advice. Use of accessors and mutators is a best
practice.
No, it's a bad practice. Wherever possible, objects should be
immutable. Where not possible, follow the rule of "tell, don't ask."
If you have classes that poke around in the internals of other classes
in order to accomplish their goals, you need to repartition your
behaviors.
Widespread use of accessors and mutators is the sign of a poorly
designed system.
Sincerely,
Patrick
You're both right.
Accessors and mutators are useful for exposed "properties" of an object.
The tell, don't ask principle is a good one to follow in many cases,
but unfortunately it can greatly complicate simple task if taking to an
extreme. Imaging if you had to use a callback or listener to calculate a
sqrt: Math.calculateSqrt(new MySqrtListener());
Now, MySqrtListener basically has to know the rest of the program (or
expose its results through an accessor. Oops, thats asking!
If Java had support for continuations, that might make more sense. It
doesn't, so "asking" Math for a sqrt is better than "telling" math to
"tell" someone else a sqrt.
--
Daniel Pitts' Tech Blog: <http://virtualinfinity.net/wordpress/>