Should I use "get"-prefix in my method name?

Question

I have this abstract class that is used as data repository.

public abstract class AbstractDataSource {
    public abstract DataRow getDataRow(Key key); //or just dataRow(Key key)???
}

public class CSVDataSource extends AbstractDataSource {
    @Override
    public DataRow getDataRow(Key key) { //or just dataRow(Key key)??
        //fetch row from file and return dataRow
        //....
        return dataRow;
    }
}

More specific classes (i.e. subclasses of this class) implement methods for different data source, e.g. CSV, ARFF and other formats.

I was wondering if the "get"-Keyword is appropriate here, as the data retrieval is not just returning a variable, but could also require filesystem access or whatsoever.

So should I use the "get"-prefix or not?

Thanks

I recommend using `retrieve` as this indicates that something more complex is happening than just getting a value — Thomas Rawyler, Dec 13 '11 at 13:05

score 10 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 13 '11 at 13:05

10

I agree that using the get keyword can sometimes seem non-intuitive when there's real logic behind. In your case lookup or find prefixes could be good substitues. There's also retrieve as suggested by @Thomas.

This question might seem off topic at first. But naming is, at least to me, an integral part of good application design.

answered Dec 13 '11 at 13:05

Johan Sjöberg

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+1. Not just real logic, but also real chance of raising an exception. – ruakh Dec 13 '11 at 13:13
What about boolean getters? What to use instead of is- prefix? – user2340939 Jul 30 '15 at 14:07
What about calculated properties like the size in the `List`? It doesnt have a `get` prefix. – EliuX Feb 28 '18 at 00:48

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 13 '11 at 13:09

2

Do you want to this method to be a bean getter, so you can use it with things like BeanUtils? Given that it is doing heavy I/O and some logic, probably not, so I would name it differently.

answered Dec 13 '11 at 13:09

C. Ross

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Should I use "get"-prefix in my method name?

2 Answers2