RIFE will automatically detect setters and getters in your element implementation and map them to the inputs, outputs, parameters, inbeans, outbeans, incookies, outcookies, and file uploads that have been declared. Note that this is purely on a name basis and you're not required to use annotation for this to be supported. However, when you do use the annotations-based declaration, your declarations are nicely bundled and you have no duplication of the names.