# Code Smell 68 - Getters
*Getting things is widespread and safe. But it is a very bad practice.*
# Problems
- Naming
- Information Hiding
- Coupling
- Encapsulation Violation
- Mutability
- Anemic Models
# Solutions
1. Avoid Getters
2. Use domain names instead
3. Protect your implementation decisions.
# Sample Code
## Wrong
%[https://gist.github.com/mcsee/39d40cf2f0d4159c95d90243c59a4df5]
## Right
%[https://gist.github.com/mcsee/cd465eb9ca4f2771fb3dc5e30dc491cc]
# Detection
Getters coincide in certain scenarios with a true responsibility. It will be reasonable for a window to return its color, and it may accidentally store it as color. So a *color()* method returning the attribute color might be a good solution.
*getColor()* breaks [bijection](https://maximilianocontieri.com/the-one-and-only-software-design-principle) since it is implementative and has no real counterpart on our [mappers](https://maximilianocontieri.com/what-is-wrong-with-software).
Most linters can warn us if they detect anemic models with getters and setters.
# Tags
- Information Hiding
# Conclusion
Getters and Setters are a poorly established practice. Instead of focusing on object behavior (essential), we are desperate to know object guts (accidental) and violate their implementation.
# Relations
%[https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-28-setters]
%[https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-01-anemic-models]
%[https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-64-inappropriate-intimacy]
# More info
%[https://maximilianocontieri.com/nude-models-part-ii-getters]
# Credits
Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash
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> The value of a prototype is in the education it gives you, not in the code itself.
_Alan Cooper_
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%[https://maximilianocontieri.com/software-engineering-great-quotes]
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This article is part of the CodeSmell Series.
%[https://maximilianocontieri.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code]