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Java

Isn't it better to make the facts array a private field?

*Is it a better idea to make the facts array a private field? The facts array can only be accessed through the public method that way. *

My FactBook class:

package com.example.android.funfacts;

import java.util.Random;

public class FactBook {
    private String[] facts = {
        "Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning.",
        "Ostriches can run faster than horses.",
        "Olympic gold medals are actually made mostly of silver.",
        "You are born with 300 bones; by the time you are an adult you will have 206.",
        "It takes about 8 minutes for light from the Sun to reach Earth.",
        "Some bamboo plants can grow almost a meter in just one day.",
        "The state of Florida is bigger than England.",
        "Some penguins can leap 2-3 meters out of the water.",
        "On average, it takes 66 days to form a new habit.",
        "Mammoths still walked the earth when the Great Pyramid was being built."
    };

    public String getFact() {
        Random random = new Random();
        int randomNumber = random.nextInt(facts.length);
        return facts[randomNumber];
    }
}

Thank you for your advice!

Regards, Ahmed

1 Answer

Rich Zimmerman
Rich Zimmerman
24,063 Points

It all depends on the use of the facts array. If it's only used by the getFacts() method then sure, private is fine. If you need to reference or use the facts array in another class then it would need to be public.

Here's a good response on someone asking about best practices regarding setting class variables to private: https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/314192/best-practices-for-using-public-protected-private