What are some examples of encapsulation in programming?

What are some examples of encapsulation in programming?

Encapsulation is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming. It involves bundling the data and methods that operate on that data within a single unit, or class. For example, in a class representing a bank account, the balance could be a private variable, and methods like deposit and withdraw would be public methods that modify the balance.

Can you give me a code example?

Sure! Here's a simple example in Python:

class BankAccount:
    def __init__(self, initial_balance):
        self.__balance = initial_balance  # private variable

    def deposit(self, amount):
        self.__balance += amount

    def withdraw(self, amount):
        if amount <= self.__balance:
            self.__balance -= amount
        else:
            print('Insufficient funds')

    def get_balance(self):
        return self.__balance

What are the benefits of using encapsulation?

Encapsulation provides several benefits: it protects the internal state of an object, reduces complexity by hiding implementation details, and enhances code maintainability and flexibility. It also allows for controlled access to the object's data.

Are there any downsides to encapsulation?

One downside is that it can lead to increased complexity in the code structure, as you may need to create more classes and methods. Additionally, over-encapsulation can make the code harder to understand for new developers.