TypeError: getting private setter-only property

The JavaScript exception "getting private setter-only property" occurs when reading the value of a private element for which only a setter is defined.

Message#

TypeError: '#x' was defined without a getter (V8-based)
TypeError: getting private setter-only property (Firefox)
TypeError: Trying to access an undefined private getter (Safari)

Error type#

{{jsxref("TypeError")}}

What went wrong?#

There is an attempt to get the value of a private element for which only a setter is specified. Unlike normal objects, where an undefined getter just means the property would always return undefined, for private elements, this is an error.

Examples#

Private element with no getter#

Here, #name has no getter, so trying to read it using this.#name will throw an error.

```js example-bad class Person { set #name(value) {}

get name() { return this.#name; } }

const person = new Person(); console.log(person.name); ```

It's not usual for a private element to have a setter without a getter. Either add a getter or refactor your program so the setter can be removed too.

See also#

• Private elements
• set