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Java Properties

Most modern object-oriented language support properties, object attributes with a simple syntax for getting and setting their values.

button.text = "Click me"!

Java is a notable exception. In Java, properties are implemented using the JavaBeans convention, as a pair of get/set methods.

button.setText("Click me!")

Some people find this a nuisance and want to fix it. Others find that it is not worth fixing, or even worse, a devilish plot to evict us from the object-oriented paradise. Unfortunately, properties aren't as sexy as closures, so there hasn't been a lot of follow-through. Quite a few bloggers bemoan the issue, come up with a draft of a solution, and move on to greener pastures. I thought it would be helpful to have one place that gathers the collective wisdom, in the hope that a complete solution will emerge.

In these pages, Nikolay Botev, a computer science student at San Jose State University, collected a large number of links for use cases, proposals, and issues. I did some editing, and hopefully, so will some of you. Please make an account and contribute.

Contents

• Use Cases - use cases for language properties.
• Proposals - various proposals for native properties syntax & semantics collected from all over the web.
• Issues - issues to be aware of when dealing with native properties.
• Property-related JSRs - JSRs that could be affected by the addition of native properties to the language.
• Properties in Other Languages - properties have been done many times before - this sections explores how other languages do native properties.
• Links - a comprehensive list of properties-related blogs, articles, forum discussions, bug reports, and polls can be found on del.icio.us