Method names for getting data

Question

Warning: This is a not very serious question/discussion that I am posting... but I am willing to bet that most developers have pondered this "issue"...

Always wanted to get other opinions regarding naming conventions for methods that went and got data from somewhere and returned it...

Most method names are somewhat simple and obvious... SaveEmployee(), DeleteOrder(), UploadDocument(). Of course with classes you would most likely use the short form...Save(), Delete(), Upload() respectively.

However, I have always struggled with initial action...how to get the data. It seems that for every project I end up jumping between different naming conventions because I am never quite happy with the last one I used. As far as I can tell these are the possibilities -->

• GetBooks()
• FetchBooks()
• RetrieveBooks()
• FindBooks()
• LoadBooks()

What is your thought?

Answer 1

Your accept rate is horrible, so start going through your list and accept good answers, people take time (just like this time) to help.

To answer your question, the answer is just stick to what you are comfortable with and be consistant.

If you have a barnes and nobles website and you use GetBooks(), then if you have another item like a Movie entity use GetMovies(). So whatever you and your team likes and be consistant.

Answer 2

1. getBooks() is when you are getting all the books associated with an object, it implies the set is already defined.
2. findBooks(criteria) is when are trying to find a sub-set of the books based on parameters to the method call, this will usually be overloaded with different search criteria
3. loadBooks() is when you are loading from an external source, like a file or db.
4. I would not use fetch/retrieve because they are too vague.

Answer 3

It is not clear by what you mean for "getting the data". From the database? A file? Memory?

My view about method naming is that its role is to eliminate any ambiguities and ideally a need to look up documentation. I believe that this should be done even at the cost of longer method names. According to studies, most intermediate+ developers are able to read multiple words in camel case. With IDE and auto completions, writing long method names is also not a problem.

Thus, when I see "fetchBooks", unless the context is very clear (e.g., a class named BookFetcherFromDatabase), it is ambiguous. Fetch it from where? What is the difference between fetch and find? You're also risking the problem that some developers will associate semantics with certain keywords. For example, fetch for database (or memory) vs. load (from file) or download (from web).

I would rather see something like "fetchBooksFromDatabase", "loadBookFromFile", "findBooksInCollection", etc. It is less sightly, but once you get over the length, it is clear. Everyone reading this would right away get what it is that you are trying to do.

Answer 4

In OO (C++/Java) I tend to use getSomething and setSomething because very often if not always I am either getting a private attribute from the class representing that data object or setting it - the getter/setter pair. As a plus, Eclipse generates them for you.

I tend to use Load only when I mean files - as in "load into memory" and that usually implies loading into primitives, structs (C) or objects. I use send/receive for web.

As said above, consistency is everything and that includes cross-developers.

I second the vote for accepting answers, please.

Answer 5

Consistency with a good memory (I have a bad memory so consistency is effected) you can create a document for your reference.

Answer 6

Honestly you should just decide with your team which naming convention to use. But for fun, lets see what your train of thought would be to decide on any of these:

• GetBooks()

This method belongs to a data source, and we don't care how it is obtaining them, we just want to Get them from the data source.

• FetchBooks()

You treat your data source like a bloodhound, and it is his job to fetch your books. I guess you should decide on your own how many he can fit in his mouth at once.

• FindBooks()

Your data source is a librarian and will use the Dewey Decimal system to find your books.

• LoadBooks()

These books belong in some sort of "electronic book bag" and must be loaded into it. Be sure to call ZipClosed() after loading to prevent losing them.

• RetrieveBooks()

I have nothing.

Answer 7

As long as you're consistent across your API, that's the main thing.

I quite like this approach

Author.GetBooks(); // Instance method
Book.Search( ... ); // Static method, where ... represents the criteria for searching a DB
Book.Load( Stream ); // Load a book from a file