[java] How do I get some variable from another class in Java?

I am "playing around" with Java, watching tutorials and trying to get the hang of it. For this question, I'm trying to figure out how I can take a variable from another class and use it in my main one, without making the initial variable public. Here is the code:

I am trying to get int x equal to 5 (as seen in the setNum() method), but when it prints it gives me 0.

Main Class:

package getVarTest;  public class Main {      public static void main (String[]args){         Vars varsObject = new Vars();         int x = varsObject.getNum();         System.out.println(x);     } } 

Variable Class:

package getVarTest;      public class Vars {         private int num;             public void setNum(int x){                 this.num = 5;             }             public int getNum(){                 return num;             }     } 

So, as you can see I am trying to take the private int num and make the int x in the main class equal to it.

This question is related to java

The answer is


I am trying to get int x equal to 5 (as seen in the setNum() method) but when it prints it gives me 0.

To run the code in setNum you have to call it. If you don't call it, the default value is 0.


You never call varsObject.setNum();


Your example is perfect: the field is private and it has a getter. This is the normal way to access a field. If you need a direct access to an object field, use reflection. Using reflection to get a field's value is a hack and should be used in extreme cases such as using a library whose code you cannot change.


The code that you have is correct. To get a variable from another class you need to create an instance of the class if the variable is not static, and just call the explicit method to get access to that variable. If you put get and set method like the above is the same of declaring that variable public.

Put the method setNum private and inside the getNum assign the value that you want, you will have "get" access to the variable in that case


Questions with java tag:

Under what circumstances can I call findViewById with an Options Menu / Action Bar item? How much should a function trust another function How to implement a simple scenario the OO way Two constructors How do I get some variable from another class in Java? this in equals method How to split a string in two and store it in a field How to do perspective fixing? String index out of range: 4 My eclipse won't open, i download the bundle pack it keeps saying error log getting " (1) no such column: _id10 " error Instantiating a generic type When to create variables (memory management) java doesn't run if structure inside of onclick listener String method cannot be found in a main class method Are all Spring Framework Java Configuration injection examples buggy? Calling another method java GUI I need to know how to get my program to output the word i typed in and also the new rearranged word using a 2D array Java and unlimited decimal places? Read input from a JOptionPane.showInputDialog box Cannot retrieve string(s) from preferences (settings) strange error in my Animation Drawable Two Page Login with Spring Security 3.2.x Hadoop MapReduce: Strange Result when Storing Previous Value in Memory in a Reduce Class (Java) Got a NumberFormatException while trying to parse a text file for objects Best way for storing Java application name and version properties Call japplet from jframe FragmentActivity to Fragment Comparing two joda DateTime instances Maven dependencies are failing with a 501 error IntelliJ: Error:java: error: release version 5 not supported Has been compiled by a more recent version of the Java Runtime (class file version 57.0) Why am I getting Unknown error in line 1 of pom.xml? Gradle: Could not determine java version from '11.0.2' Error: Java: invalid target release: 11 - IntelliJ IDEA Android Gradle 5.0 Update:Cause: org.jetbrains.plugins.gradle.tooling.util Why is 2 * (i * i) faster than 2 * i * i in Java? must declare a named package eclipse because this compilation unit is associated to the named module How do I install Java on Mac OSX allowing version switching? How to install JDK 11 under Ubuntu? Java 11 package javax.xml.bind does not exist IntelliJ can't recognize JavaFX 11 with OpenJDK 11 Difference between OpenJDK and Adoptium/AdoptOpenJDK OpenJDK8 for windows How to allow all Network connection types HTTP and HTTPS in Android (9) Pie? Find the smallest positive integer that does not occur in a given sequence Error: JavaFX runtime components are missing, and are required to run this application with JDK 11 How to uninstall Eclipse? Failed to resolve: com.google.firebase:firebase-core:16.0.1 How to resolve Unable to load authentication plugin 'caching_sha2_password' issue