Steven Sacks wrote:
I wouldn't even go so far as to say he's 99% right. More like 33.3%.
Private properties with Public getters and setters is used for one of
three reasons.
1) You need to do adjust the value of the property when set or get, such
as applying limits (max value is 100 so if you pass 150, set it to 100),
or storing the value internally as something different and returning a
modified value (internally using .5, but the API accepts 50).
2) You need to update the class when a property is set or get.
3) You need protection against dummies.
4) You need protection from the customer changing his mind once you have
finished. That is what I mean by robustness.
If you have to do 1) after you have got the first version running, now
you have to search through all the code that references the class to see
if it sets the property.
If you examine the ratio of dummies getting to program with my code to
customers that change their requirements, dummies are less of a concern.
#3 is what Ron is talking about here, because if you're not doing #1 or
#2, then you don't need getters and setters.
I use public properties when appropriate. I only use getters and
setters when I need to do something to the property prior to setting
it (such as limits) or some kind of update to the class when the
property changes.
There's such a thing as over-architecting. OOP sacrifices speed for
flexibility and scalability. You shouldn't overdo it with unnecessary
function calls for setting public properties. It causes code bloat
and your code doesn't perform as well. I don't wrote code for the
lowest common denominator. I've got work to get done.
If your work has to maintained or used by others as a base, you have no
control about who is going to do it.
We're Flash developers, not C++ developers. We can't bring down the
operating system with a bad value. Some of these safeguards are in
place because lower-level languages can cause real damage. The only
thing that can happen in Flash is that particular swf might have
problems. You can't bring down a system by missetting a property in
Flash.
You can bring down an application that is critical for the business. I
don't care what people do for their own amusement but if I am paying the
bill, I want it done in a way that is robust and not going to embarrass
the company or get us sued. Our Flash eLearning system (ALI) has run
without problems for years at clients' sites.
How important to the client would it be if they had flown soldiers in
from all across the country to take a course and the course would not
work because of a change in the requirements that broke some other function?
Granted, it will not start a nuclear war but the chance of doing
additional business will be damaged severely.
The ALI is not perfectly coded by any stretch but I tried to get it
done, on schedule, in a way that does not require any maintenance. It
has proven to be capable of being modified to meet new needs and ideas
without breaking existing code.
According to Ron Wheeler, I'm a bad coder. I respectfully disagree. :)
Disagreeing with me is not, in itself, evidence of much. If I was to
hire you as a consultant, I would be careful about standards and design
reviews.
Coding does not bother me as much as design. I would look for your
interfaces definitions and your class structures.
I am sure that once we had a meeting of the minds, everything would be
fine. I can be a bit flexible, if the case is well made.
Don't forget that this started out as a discussion about teach newbies.
Not converting old farts.
Ron
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