getter method vs directly using input param

Question

I have come across this code (simplified of course) in the project I have been assigned to.

Method Option 1

public myType getSomething(final int pTeamId) {
    this.teamId = pTeamId;
    final ClassABC classABC = new ClassABC(pTeamId);
    ...
    return myType;
}

Notice how the input parameter pTeamId is being assigned to the private data member teamId in the first line of the method. Please note that there are getter and setter methods for this teamId data member (Which I have not bothered to include for simplicity's sake. Just know they are a standard getter/setter pair).

So I suppose I could write this method differently where I call the getter of the data member I just set instead of using the input parameter passed in directly as in Method Option 1:

Method Option 2

public myType getSomething(final int pTeamId) {
    this.teamId = pTeamId;
    final ClassABC classABC = new ClassABC(this.getTeamId());
    ...
    return myType;
}

I realize this question may seem trivial and/or stupid to some, but I am encountering this situation frequently in a large code base I am modifying, so I am curious about which is the "correct" way to approach this, Method option 1 or Method option 2.

I came across this thread, but it targets JavaScript: speed of getter function vs direct access

My first inclination is to use Method Option 1, but I really do not have a good reason why, besides that "it looks faster...".

Can someone else provide a better reason(s)?

Specifically,

1) Is there is a proper/preferred convention/technique/practice in this scenario?

and

2) WHY is one option better than the other? Are they equal? Are there performance issues? etc.

Are there questions I am not asking? (or is this all an over-analysis)?

Any insight would be appreciated.

@MadProgrammer...That sounds like a problem that had not even crossed my mind :P — Josh, Oct 29 '13 at 22:29
@PhilippSander Everything is clear. I gave it a day to see if any other answers would be provided. Yours was a sufficient explanation, however. Thank you. — Josh, Oct 30 '13 at 13:45

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 29 '13 at 22:29

4

The getter could have logic in it like not returning null but an empty string instead. same with the setter.

when you manipulate the variable directly you don't execute that logic.

this can also be a problem if someone overrides the getter and setter logic. (you can forbidd this by making them final) but this is not a common doing! (i would go one step further and call it an anti-pattern)

i would suggest always calling the getters/setters. and there is no real performance loss

answered Oct 29 '13 at 22:29

Philipp Sander

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+1, but that said, if the class is `final` (or if the getter is `final`) and the getter's implementation is simply `return teamId`, it's fine to access the field directly. I usually don't worry about encapsulation much _within_ a class. In fact, if I start worrying about encapsulation within a class, that's often a sign that the class is trying to do much. – yshavit Oct 29 '13 at 22:37

getter method vs directly using input param

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