Question

After I have written a get method in a java class, is it better to use the get method in the same class or the variable itself?

For example:

if(a.getWidth()>this.getWidth())

or:

if(a.getWidth()>this.width)

Also I am confused if i should be using the this.anything so much. It seemed easier to read when comparing objects of the same type to each other.

Answer 1

1) It may seem from inside a class that there is no difference between using field and getter but what if a getter is overridden by a subclass?

class A {
    String name;
    String address;

    String getName() {
        return name;
    }

    String getAddress() {
        return address;
    }

    String getDescription() {
        return name + " " + address;
    }
}

class B extends A {
    String country;
    @Override
    String getAddress() {
        return super.getAddress() + ", " + country;
    }
}

B.getDescription() is expected to return an extended address but it wouldnt. It would if A.getDescription() was implemented as

        return getName() + " " + getAddress();

2) I personally dont use this for readability because IDE marks this with a different color