I am a backend developer that has developed mostly in Java so I was taught to use setters/getters instead of directly accessing the properties of a class.

Now I'm getting into the frontend world and now got to js/ts. I've seen lot of people access object variables directly without setters and getters as you'd do in Java such as this.person.name.

Why is this? Is there any advantage on using getter/setter on ts and js if you don't need to add extra code but just to get the value or set it?

Thanks.

I am a backend developer that has developed mostly in Java so I was taught to use setters/getters instead of directly accessing the properties of a class.

Now I'm getting into the frontend world and now got to js/ts. I've seen lot of people access object variables directly without setters and getters as you'd do in Java such as this.person.name.

Why is this? Is there any advantage on using getter/setter on ts and js if you don't need to add extra code but just to get the value or set it?

Thanks.

• javascript
• typescript
• setter
• getter

• 4 Personal opinion: I think the big difference between the two languages is the mentality. Java, as you probably know, is totally obsessive-compulsive about "the right way" to do things, often flat out forcing you into doing it that way. Javascript tends to be more of a shoot-from-the-hip cowboy language. Just get in and make it work. Also, JavaScript seems more disposable where Java is more long-term maintainable. (Again, these are more observations than measurable facts.) – TheHeadlessSourceMan Commented Sep 6, 2018 at 13:50

3 Answers 3

A difference between using a getter or setter and accessing object variables directly is that getters/setters are automatically invoked on assignment. So it looks just like a normal property but behind the scenes you can have extra logic (or checks) to be run just before or after the assignment.

So if you decide to add this kind of extra logic to one of the existing object properties already has references, you can convert it to getter/setter style without altering the rest of the code that has access to that property.

let person = {
    _age: 50,

    set age(newage){
      if(typeof newage === 'number'){
           this._age = newage;
            console.log('valid input')
      }
      else{
           console.log ('Invalid input');
      }
    }

  };

@Pointy is wrong to say: it's really a good idea to forget everything about Java when learning JavaScript. Encapsulation is an object oriented principle of hiding the internal state and behaviour of an object, making your code more maintainable.

In javascript you make tings work with no/messy structure. Typescript is a superset of javascript, this guy is your friend if you are a C#, Java or any other object oriented language programmer.

Example:
in myobject.Ts

export class MyObject {

   // private property
   private _x: number;
   private _z: number;

   // public property
   y: number;

   constructor(private _d?: number) {
       this._x = 0;
       this.y = 0;
       this._z = 0;

       this.clog(_d)
   }

   // access modifier only for _x
   get x() {
       return this._x;
   }
   set x(value: number) {
       this._x = value;
   }

   private clog(d: number) { 
       console.log(d);
   }

   // arrow function -> public
   testf = () => { console.log('value of this._d' , this._d); }
}

then you get in myobject.js this:

export class MyObject {
   constructor(_d) {
       this._d = _d;
       // arrow function -> public
       this.testf = () => { console.log('value of this._d', this._d); };
       this._x = 0;
       this.y = 0;
       this.clog(_d);
   }
   // access modifier
   get x() {
       return this._x;
   }
   set x(value) {
       this._x = value;
   }
   clog(d) {
       console.log(d);
   }
}

Let's use it in main.Ts:

import { MyObject } from './myobject';

let mo = new MyObject(15);

// set a value to the private property x
mo.x = 5;

// get the value of the private property x
// output 5
console.log(mo.x);

vscode and intellisense:

with intellisense in vscode you see that it does not show the private property _z and the private function clog().

I suggest you to watch this tutorial and make a better idea. Link