Implement getters and setters in header file

Question

I have a simple question, is it a good practise to implement getters and setters in the header file, like this ?

class WebsocketSession : public boost::enable_shared_from_this<WebsocketSession>{
public:
    WebsocketSession(boost::asio::io_service& io_service, WebsocketServer& server);

    tcp::socket& getSocket() { return socket_; } // <---  This
private:
    tcp::socket socket_;
    WebsocketServer& server_;
};

duplicate of http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3017264/c-is-it-good-practice-to-make-getters-and-setters-inline — xosp7tom, Apr 29 '14 at 14:02
@yngum _'getters/setters are a waste of time.'_ That's rubbish! Anything else leads to bad programming style. — πάντα ῥεῖ, Apr 29 '14 at 14:04
There is no way to change this interface and it doesn't protect anything. It's a waste of time. — Zan Lynx, Apr 29 '14 at 14:10

score 30 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 29 '14 at 14:07

30

Advantage

The getters and setters will be inlined so they will have no function overhead.

Disadvantage

You will be unable to make any changes to your getter and setter without having to recompile all code using your class. This is especially bad when the implementation of your class lies in a different DLL or .so file.

I personally do not like placing getters and setters in the header files.

answered Apr 29 '14 at 14:07

doron

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"*The getters and setters will be inlined so they will have no function overhead.*" Is this still true for modern compilers, with link-time optimizations, etc.? – Aviv Cohn Nov 04 '20 at 14:22

Implement getters and setters in header file

1 Answers1