Is "this" shadowing a good idea?

Question

The case of shadowing class variables is common in in Java. Eclipse will happily generate this code: ``` public class TestClass { private int value; private String test; public TestClass(int value, String test) { super(); this.value = value; this.test = test; } public int getValue() { return value; } public void setValue(int value) { this.value = value; } public String getTest() { return test; } public void setTest(String test) { this.test = test; } } ``` Is variable shadowing ever ok? I am considering the implementation of a coding rule saying that "shadowing will not be allowed." In the simple case above it is clear enough what is going on. Add in a little more code that does something and you run the risk of missing "this" and introducing a bug. What is the general consensus? Ban shadowing, allow it sometimes, or let it roll?

Accepted Answer

I actually prefer the guideline "Shadowing is only allowed in constructors and setters". Everything else is not allowed. Saves you the trouble of naming constructor arguments `aValue` and `aTest` just to avoid shadowing.

If you're using eclipse, its warnings settings can be set exactly to that option BTW.

Is "this" shadowing a good idea?

Solution

Problem