One use of JavaBeans is as a data encapsulator. A property of a JavaBean is simply the data (state) of the bean. Properties are accessible by two methods: the getter and the setter. The value of the property is accessed by the getter method. If the property is writeable, its value is changed by the setter method.
Look at the example on your screen. The method pair defines a bean property named "time" whose access type is a Date (java.util.Date)
The properties and methods of a JavaBean are an API for exchanging data and providing services. Access to a bean only requires sending messages to the bean instance. Most enterprise tools, such as VisualAge/Java, generate Java classes that conform to JavaBean specifications.
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