Question

This question is composed of two simple ones:

1. Is the latest document on Java naming conventions, the 1999 doc available at Oracle?

2. How would you call a method whose sole purpose is to create a new instance of a complex class called, for example, XmlError? createXmlError()? generateXmlError()? getXmlError()?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Get methods usually mean ‘get me the value of a field` such as;

int getTotal() {
    return total;
}

For methods that construct and return a new object, what you’re talking about there is pretty much a Factory. The factories in the Java API use several naming conventions; createXXX makeXXX generateXXX all appear in one standard-edition factory or another.

I would say use whichever makes most sense to you, and stick to it. Save get and set for simple field operations though.