Is it common for method beginning with "get" to actually set properties?

Question

I was surprised to learn that the Android API allows us to resizes imageView objects by calling the getLayoutParams() method. For example:

myTimerBar.getLayoutParams().width = timeRemaining;

There is no corresponding setLayoutParams() method.

Is it common for methods that have the word "get" to also allow programmers to "set" properties? I realize that this method is not technically a "getter" method, but it does start with the word "get."

Answer 1

getLayoutParams() returns ViewGroup.LayoutParams which it has an instance variable width that is declared as public, and in Java you can access a public instance variable and set a new value to it without a setter method.

For example:

public class Point
{
    public int x;
    public int y;
}

Point p = new Point();
p.x = 10;
p.y = p.x + 1;

Answer 2

there is setLayoutParams() in Android SDK since API Level 1 http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/View.html#setLayoutParams(android.view.ViewGroup.LayoutParams)

Answer 3

Is it common for methods that have the word "get" to also allow programmers to "set" properties? I realize that this method is not technically a "getter" method, but it does start with the word "get.

It does return the LayoutParams object associated with the View. This object does not have a mutable state. But View class does have setLayoutParams(), so does any sub-class of View. You will have to create a new LayoutParams to set.