getY

getY is a conventional getter method name used to obtain the vertical component of a two-dimensional coordinate or the Y position associated with an input event. It is typically provided alongside getX as part of a point, vector, or event class. The exact behavior and return type depend on the library, but the common purpose is to expose the Y value without exposing internal fields directly.

In 2D geometry and graphics, a Point or similar object may implement getY to return the second component of a coordinate pair. In GUI and event-handling APIs, getY is used to retrieve the vertical position involved in an interaction. The interpretation of the value—such as whether it is a local coordinate, a screen coordinate, or a transformed coordinate—varies by framework and context.

Examples of usage across contexts include:

- In Java's AWT/Swing, a mouse-related getY typically returns the Y coordinate in the coordinate space of the component that fired the event, often as an integer number of pixels.

- In Android, MotionEvent.getY returns the Y coordinate of the touch or pointer event relative to the view that received the event, usually as a floating-point value. Some APIs also provide rawY for coordinates in a different reference frame.

Because coordinate systems can differ (local vs global, transformed spaces, and device coordinates), developers should be mindful of the reference frame used by getY in a given API and, when needed, use available conversion methods to map the value to the desired space. In many languages, getY is paired with getX, and some environments prefer property access (y) over a method call, reflecting language conventions. See also getX, Point, MouseEvent, MotionEvent.