Encapsulation (computer programming)

In object-oriented programming languages, and other related fields, encapsulation refers to one of two related but distinct notions, and sometimes to the combination thereof:[4][5]

• A language mechanism for restricting direct access to some of the object's components.[6][7]
• A language construct that facilitates the bundling of data with the methods (or other functions) operating on that data.[1][8]

Some programming language researchers and academics use the first meaning alone or in combination with the second as a distinguishing feature of object-oriented programming, while some programming languages that provide lexical closures view encapsulation as a feature of the language orthogonal to object orientation.

The second definition is motivated by the fact that in many object-oriented languages, and other related fields, the components are not hidden automatically and this can be overridden; thus, information hiding is defined as a separate notion by those who prefer the second definition.

The features of encapsulation are supported using classes in most object-oriented languages, although other alternatives also exist.

Under the definition that encapsulation "can be used to hide data members and member functions", the internal representation of an object is generally hidden from view outside of the object's definition. Typically, only the object's own methods can directly inspect or manipulate its fields. Hiding the internals of the object protects its integrity by preventing users from setting the internal data of the component into an invalid or inconsistent state. A supposed benefit of encapsulation is that it can reduce system complexity, and thus increase robustness, by allowing the developer to limit the interdependencies between software components.

Some languages like Smalltalk and Ruby only allow access via object methods, but most others (e.g., C++, C#, Delphi or Java) offer the programmer a degree of control over what is hidden, typically via keywords like public and private.[7] ISO C++ standard refers to protected, private and public as "access specifiers" and that they do not "hide any information". Information hiding is accomplished by furnishing a compiled version of the source code that is interfaced via a header file.

Almost always, there is a way to override such protection – usually via reflection API (Ruby, Java, C#, etc.), sometimes by mechanism like name mangling (Python), or special keyword usage like friend in C++.

class Program
{
    public class Account
    {
        private decimal accountBalance = 500.00m;

        public decimal CheckBalance()
        {
            return this.accountBalance;
        }
    }

    static void Main()
    {
        Account myAccount = new Account();
        decimal myBalance = myAccount.CheckBalance();

        /* This Main method can check the balance via the public
         * "CheckBalance" method provided by the "Account" class 
         * but it cannot manipulate the value of "accountBalance" */
    }
}

public class Employee {
    private BigDecimal salary = new BigDecimal(50000.00);
    
    public BigDecimal getSalary() {
        return this.salary;
    }

    public static void main() {
        Employee e = new Employee();
        BigDecimal sal = e.getSalary();
    }
}

// Header file "api.h"

struct Entity;          // Opaque structure with hidden members

// API functions that operate on 'Entity' objects
extern struct Entity *  open_entity(int id);
extern int              process_entity(struct Entity *info);
extern void             close_entity(struct Entity *info);
// extern keywords here are redundant, but don't hurt.
// extern defines functions that can be called outside the current file, the default behavior even without the keyword

// Implementation file "api.c"

#include "api.h"

struct Entity {
    int     ent_id;         // ID number
    char    ent_name[20];   // Name
    ... and other members ...
};

// API function implementations
struct Entity * open_entity(int id)
{ ... }

int process_entity(struct Entity *info)
{ ... }

void close_entity(struct Entity *info)
{ ... }

class Car: 
    def __init__(self) -> None:
        self._maxspeed = 200
 
    def drive(self) -> None:
        print(f"Maximum speed is {self._maxspeed}.")
 
redcar = Car()
redcar.drive()  # This will print 'Maximum speed is 200.'

redcar._maxspeed = 10
redcar.drive()  # This will print 'Maximum speed is 10.'

• Inheritance (object-oriented programming)
• Object-oriented programming
• Software design pattern
• Facade pattern