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Encapsulation in Java
Encapsulation in Java is another OOPs concept which represents data hiding. This means that the variables are encapsulated within the class and other classes cannot access them directly. We can access them only through the public class methods. In this way, we can hide important data and restrict their modification.
How to achieve encapsulation
We can achieve encapsulation in java in the below ways.
- Declare variables as private. Please refer to access modifiers to understand more about private modifier. We cannot access private variables directly from other classes.
- Implement getter and setter methods. We can use these to read and write the values.
Advantages of Java Encapsulation
- Provides security by not allowing outside class to modify the private fields.
- We can have either read-only or write-only methods also hence providing restrictions to other classes to access them. This means, if a class has only a get method, we can only read the variables. Similarly, we can have only a set method to only set the variable.
- Provides flexibility and reusability through the getter and setter methods.
- Implementation details are not visible to other classes.
- Easy for unit testing
Now let's understand the encapsulation concept in java using an example.
Example of Java Encapsulation
In the below example, we have 2 private variables pname, dept in the Professor class. Since the variables are private we cannot access them outside the class.
Encapsulation in Java
Encapsulation in Java is another OOPs concept which represents data hiding. This means that the variables are encapsulated within the class and other classes cannot access them directly. We can access them only through the public class methods. In this way, we can hide important data and restrict their modification.
How to achieve encapsulation
We can achieve encapsulation in java in the below ways.
- Declare variables as private. Please refer to access modifiers to understand more about private modifier. We cannot access private variables directly from other classes.
- Implement getter and setter methods. We can use these to read and write the values.
Advantages of Java Encapsulation
- Provides security by not allowing outside class to modify the private fields.
- We can have either read-only or write-only methods also hence providing restrictions to other classes to access them. This means, if a class has only a get method, we can only read the variables. Similarly, we can have only a set method to only set the variable.
- Provides flexibility and reusability through the getter and setter methods.
- Implementation details are not visible to other classes.
- Easy for unit testing
Now let's understand the encapsulation concept in java using an example.
Example of Java Encapsulation
In the below example, we have 2 private variables pname, dept in the Professor class. Since the variables are private we cannot access them outside the class.