We have discussed the accessor levels of our data.  In most environments, the three levels are public, protected, and private.  In this episode, we go deeper into these concepts and a practical approach to data hiding. The Private Access Level This level of access should be our default.  It can be considered the critical step in data hiding.  Private hides our data and methods.  I find a physical example often works best for the goal of this approach.  When we purchase a physical device, we prefer fewer buttons and interface widgets over more.  The Apple iPod was a perfect example of this.  There were very few controls, so the interface was easy to understand.  Our software should follow the same... Read more

Data encapsulation and data hiding are terms for keeping object properties from public consumption.  This concept is an essential part of object-oriented programming.  We need to be able to have internal processes and values that we can change without impacting users.  It also allows us to limit the impact of changes in large systems.  Thus, we will start our OOP season with a look at this somewhat simple concept. Data Hiding is more than properties. One important facet of this topic is that we use encapsulation for more than attributes or properties.  That may not be obvious in the frameworks you use.  Therefore, we need to look at these expanded options for encapsulation.  We also can use this as an... Read more

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and related concepts have become almost ubiquitous in modern software projects. It was a novel idea a few decades ago that has been incorporated into many frameworks and languages. We even have situations where OOP was “bolted on” to existing systems. However, all of that out of the box OOP design can hide it from us and keep us from fully embracing it. Therefore, this season will start from the OOP foundations and point to ways to embrace it in an intentional rather than accidental way. Avoid Duplication of Effort Software development is all about solving problems. The more we solve, the better we can serve our audience or customers. Thus, we want to avoid answering the... Read more