**Course Title:** Ruby Programming: From Basics to Advanced Techniques **Section Title:** Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) in Ruby **Topic:** Attributes and methods: Getter and setter methods **Introduction** In object-oriented programming (OOP), attributes and methods are the building blocks of classes and objects. Attributes represent the data associated with an object, while methods represent the actions that can be performed on that data. In this topic, we will explore the concept of getter and setter methods, which are used to access and modify attributes. **What are Getter and Setter Methods?** Getter methods are used to retrieve the value of an attribute, while setter methods are used to modify the value of an attribute. These methods are essential in OOP as they provide a way to encapsulate data and control access to it. **Defining Getter and Setter Methods** In Ruby, getter and setter methods are defined using the `attr_accessor` method. This method generates getter and setter methods for a specified attribute. ```ruby class Person attr_accessor :name, :age def initialize(name, age) @name = name @age = age end end ``` In the above example, the `attr_accessor` method is used to define getter and setter methods for the `name` and `age` attributes. **Using Getter and Setter Methods** Getter and setter methods can be used to access and modify attributes in a controlled manner. For example: ```ruby person = Person.new("John Doe", 30) # Accessing the name attribute using the getter method puts person.name # Output: John Doe # Modifying the name attribute using the setter method person.name = "Jane Doe" puts person.name # Output: Jane Doe ``` **Key Concepts** * Getter methods are used to retrieve the value of an attribute. * Setter methods are used to modify the value of an attribute. * `attr_accessor` is a Ruby method that generates getter and setter methods for a specified attribute. * Getter and setter methods provide a way to encapsulate data and control access to it. **Practical Takeaways** * Use getter and setter methods to access and modify attributes in a controlled manner. * Use `attr_accessor` to generate getter and setter methods for attributes. * Encapsulate data and control access to it using getter and setter methods. **Example Use Cases** * In a banking system, you can use getter and setter methods to access and modify account information. * In a social media platform, you can use getter and setter methods to access and modify user information. **Exercise** Write a Ruby program that defines a `Car` class with `make` and `model` attributes. Use getter and setter methods to access and modify these attributes. ```ruby # Define the Car class class Car attr_accessor :make, :model def initialize(make, model) @make = make @model = model end end # Create a new Car object car = Car.new("Toyota", "Camry") # Access the make attribute using the getter method puts car.make # Output: Toyota # Modify the make attribute using the setter method car.make = "Honda" puts car.make # Output: Honda ``` **Leave a comment or ask for help if you have any questions or need further clarification on this topic.**