diff --git a/example/plotField.jl b/example/plotField.jl
index c3c2633..fdc853a 100644
--- a/example/plotField.jl
+++ b/example/plotField.jl
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ quiverRange = -coeffs.radius:0.005:coeffs.radius
 figure(figsize=(12,6))
 for p=1:length(coeffs) # plot both patches
   subplot(1,2,p)
-  selectPatch(field,p) # switch patches
+  setPatch!(field,p) # switch patches
 
   # plot norm
   imshow(norm.(field[plotRange, plotRange, 0]), origin="lower",
diff --git a/src/MPISphericalHarmonics.jl b/src/MPISphericalHarmonics.jl
index cb6bc91..e0ae2ea 100644
--- a/src/MPISphericalHarmonics.jl
+++ b/src/MPISphericalHarmonics.jl
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export findFFP, findFFP!
 
 ## SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField ##
 export SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField
-export selectPatch, length
+export setPatch!, getPatch, length
 
 Base.@kwdef mutable struct SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField <: AbstractMagneticField
     func::Array{Union{Function,SphericalHarmonicExpansions.StaticPolynomials.Polynomial},2}
@@ -56,13 +56,20 @@ MPIMagneticFields.value_(field::SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField, r) =
 
 # patches
 length(field::SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField) = size(field.func, 2) # get number of patches
-function selectPatch(field::SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField, patchNum::Int)
-    if 1 <= patchNum <= length(field) # test if patch exists
-        field.patch = patchNum
-    else
-        throw(DimensionMismatch("The field contains only $(length(field)) patches."))
-    end
+function setPatch!(field::SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField, patch::Int) # set patch
+    checkPatch(field, patch) # test if patch exists
+    field.patch = patch # set patch
+
+    return patch
 end
+getPatch(field::SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField) = field.patch # get current patch
 
+# test if patch exists
+function checkPatch(field::SphericalHarmonicsDefinedField, patch::Int)
+    if patch > length(field) || patch < 1 
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("Patch $patch requested, but the field contains only $(length(field)) patches."))
+    end
 
+    return nothing
+end
 end
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index 40d3b42..b797844 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -362,8 +362,9 @@ const tmpdir = @get_scratch!("tmp")
             @test isapprox(field[ffp...], zeros(3), atol = 1e-10)
 
             # Second patch
-            selectPatch(field, 2)
-            @test field.patch == 2
+            setPatch!(field, 2)
+            @test field.patch == 2 # tests setPatch!
+            @test getPatch(field) == 2 # tests getPatch
             # test offset in (0, 0, 0)
             offset = ones(3) .* 0.01
             @test isapprox(field[0, 0, 0], offset, atol = 1e-10)
@@ -372,7 +373,7 @@ const tmpdir = @get_scratch!("tmp")
             @test isapprox(field[ffp...], zeros(3), atol = 1e-10)
 
             # Test wrong patch number
-            @test_throws DimensionMismatch selectPatch(field, 3)
+            @test_throws DimensionMismatch setPatch!(field, 3)
         end
     end