Do not want to set private to default in Java

Question

I have this in one class:

if (people.count < 10)
    return false;

But count is undermarked with red saying Change the visibility of count to default

count is in another class as private. But I don't want to change it to default. I know it is a bad practice. How can I make it work without setter and getters?

Besides getters and setters and public fields your only other (and really bad in this case) option is reflection — Jason Sperske, Apr 11 '13 at 17:45
*How can I make it work without setter and getters?* Simple answer: **you can't**. This looks more like a whimsey than a design issue (that's why I downvote it). You could use reflection to handle the job but is a hack alternative instead of good design and practices (maybe that's up to you) — Luiggi Mendoza, Apr 11 '13 at 17:46
Thank you very much everyone! I will use getter: people.getCount() — Sam, Apr 11 '13 at 17:55
You could have [Lombok](http://projectlombok.org/) set the getters and setters for you (just add a simple @Data annotation to your class and you get them automatically for all private fields) — Jason Sperske, Apr 11 '13 at 17:56

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 11 '13 at 17:45

3

You can either change the visibility or expose a getter. Asking for another way to do this is literally asking, "how can I expose a variable without exposing it?" So, your call.

answered Apr 11 '13 at 17:45

djechlin

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Or switch to Clojure (it doesn't treat "private" as private :) – Jason Sperske Apr 11 '13 at 17:46

Andy Thomas · Answer 2 · 2013-04-11T17:51:51.553

1

The field count is private because it's encapsulated in the class. You're not intended to access it other than through a non-private member of the class.

Changing its access to 'default' would be easy but harmful.

Accessing it through a number of hacks (reflection, native methods, ...) would be more complex and still harmful.

Exposing a getter is easy and appropriate.

edited Apr 11 '13 at 17:51

answered Apr 11 '13 at 17:46

Andy Thomas

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score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 11 '13 at 17:45

0

if (people.getCount() < 10)
    return false;

answered Apr 11 '13 at 17:45

Aubin

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From the question: "How can I make it work without setter and getters?" – Andy Thomas Apr 11 '13 at 17:49

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 11 '13 at 17:46

0

You only have the two choices; change the visibility or use getters and setters. The advantage of using getters and setters is that it adheres to the principle of encapsulation which in Java is important.

answered Apr 11 '13 at 17:46

blackpanther

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Do not want to set private to default in Java

4 Answers4