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Field encapsulation
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<h2 id="advantages">Advantages</h2> <ul><li>The <a href="/facts/Internal_storage/1vm2Bph1">internal storage</a> format of the data is hidden; in the example, an expectation of the use of restricted character sets could allow data compression through recoding (e.g., of eight bit characters to a six bit code). An attempt to encode characters out of the range of the expected data could then be handled by casting an error in the <i>set</i> routine.</li> <li>In general, the <i>get</i> and <i>set</i> methods may be produced in two versions - an efficient method that assumes that the caller is delivering appropriate data and that the data has been stored properly, and a <a href="/facts/Debugging/QtdpPJT0">debugging</a> version that while slower, performs validity checks on data received and delivered. Such detection is useful when routines (calling or called) or internal storage formats are newly created or modified.</li> <li>The location of the stored data within larger structures may be hidden and so enabling changes to be made to this storage without the necessity of changing the code that references the data. This also reduces the likelihood of unexpected <a href="/facts/Side_effect_(computer_science)/AU3GlLzG">side effects</a> from such changes. This is especially advantageous when the accessors are part of an <a href="/facts/Operating_system/8XTuvMh2">operating system</a> (OS), a case where the calling (application) code may not be available to the developers of the OS.</li></ul> <h2 id="disadvantages">Disadvantages</h2> <p>Access to a subroutine involves additional overhead not present when data is accessed directly. While this is becoming of less concern with the wide availability of fast general-purpose processors it may remain important in coding some <a href="/facts/Real-time_computing/p9HxgL4L">real-time computing</a> systems and systems using relatively slow and simple <a href="/facts/Embedded_system/a4muX1wU">embedded processors</a>. In some languages, like C++, the getter / setter methods are usually <a href="/facts/Inline_function/foqU4fpQ">inline functions</a>, so that when inlining is performed, the code looks just like direct field accessing. </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Liang, Y. Daniel. "9.9 Data Field Encapsulation". Revel for Introduction to Java Programming and Data Structures. <a href="https://tinnakorn.cs.rmu.ac.th/Courses/Tutorial/Java.Introduction.to.Java.Programming.and.Data.Structures/OPS/xhtml/ch09_pg0013.xhtml" target="_blank">https://tinnakorn.cs.rmu.ac.th/Courses/Tutorial/Java.Introduction.to.Java.Programming.and.Data.Structures/OPS/xhtml/ch09_pg0013.xhtml</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>