Could we have chain style setters in C++/Java just like jquery?

Question

I'm using C++ and Java for a while and recently I'm on jquery. I noticed jquery's chain style functions. Then I think, if we could change setters in C++/Java just like jquery? For example, if our code is

class Person {
    private String name;
    private int age;

    public String getName() {
        return name;
    }

    public int getAge() {
        return age;
    }

    public Person setName(String name) {
        this.name = name;
        return this;
    }

    public Person setAge(int age) {
        this.age = age;
        return this;
    }
}

Then we could write code as following instead:

Person person = new Person();
person.setName("Tom").setAge(20);

If we have lots of setters, this seems to be more simple.

I wonder if this is a good idea? Do you agree with me? Just give me your opinion. Thank you!

There's nothing wrong with this approach, and some built-in utilities use this pattern (`StringBuilder`, for instance). Personally I don't like it, but that's just me. If it works for you, then go for it. — aroth, Mar 19 '12 at 02:46
You would have to return a reference if you want the different setters to modify the same object, or else store the object somewhere at the end of the chain of setters. — David Rodríguez - dribeas, Mar 19 '12 at 02:58

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 19 '12 at 02:45

5

This is generally used to create a fluent interface and can be implemented in any language.

Pros: can improve readability and allows for more concise code.
Cons: debugging may be harder as breakpoints are usually line-based.

answered Mar 19 '12 at 02:45

JRL

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score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 19 '12 at 02:45

This is typically called as Method Chaining in C++.
Using Method Chaining is more a question of choice.

The most common use of method chaining is in the iostream library.
E.g., cout << x << y works because cout << x is a function that returns cout.

Method chaning is typically used in Named Parameter Idiom.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 19 '12 at 03:08

0

Method chaining works fine in C++, and doing it is no problem at all.

Using getters/setters (aka accessors and mutators) enough to care about chaining them hints that your code has design problems though.

answered Mar 19 '12 at 03:08

Jerry Coffin

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Could we have chain style setters in C++/Java just like jquery?

3 Answers3