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Essentially, encapsulation prevents external code from being concerned with the internal workings of an object. Encapsulation allows developers to present a consistent interface that is independent of its internal implementation. As one example, encapsulation can be used to hide the values or state of a structured data object inside a class.
For example, a relational database is encapsulated in the sense that its only public interface is a query language (such as SQL), which hides all the internal machinery and data structures of the database management system. As such, encapsulation is a core principle of good software architecture, at every level of granularity.
For example, in the IP suite, the contents of a web page are encapsulated with an HTTP header, then by a TCP header, an IP header, and, finally, by a frame header and trailer. The frame is forwarded to the destination node as a stream of bits , where it is decapsulated into the respective PDUs and interpreted at each layer by the receiving node.
Finally, both codification and encapsulation are motivated by a desire to inexpensively transfer knowledge. While codification is a process that reduces complexity, encapsulation preserves complexity. The value of encapsulation lies in the avoidance of the cost of learning to make use of the encapsulated knowledge.
In computer programming, field encapsulation involves providing methods that can be used to read from or write to the field rather than accessing the field directly. Sometimes these accessor methods are called getX and setX (where X is the field's name), which are also known as mutator methods.
Data encapsulation, also known as data hiding, is the mechanism whereby the implementation details of a class are kept hidden from the user. The user can only perform a restricted set of operations on the hidden members of the class by executing special functions commonly called methods to prevent attributes of objects from being easily viewed and accessed.
Encapsulation (computer programming), the combination of program code and data, and/or restriction (hide) of access to data except through dedicated code Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Encapsulation .
Coupling refers to the degree of direct knowledge that one component has of another. Loose coupling in computing is interpreted as encapsulation versus non-encapsulation. An example of tight coupling is when a dependent class contains a pointer directly to a concrete class which provides the required behavior.