Automatic properties were added to the language in about .net 3 which create a 'private' field, anyway, using the code:
public string foo {get;set;}
Is it possible to actually get any sort of reference to this private field?
I want to do something like
public string foo {get{/*some code to check foo for nulls etc*/};set;}
Without losing this automatic property feature and writing something like
private string _foo = null;
public string foo{get{_foo==null?_foo="hello"; return _foo;}set{_foo=value;}}
The backing field of an automatic property is anonymous; you can't access it from within its getter or setter.
If you need to implement your own logic in your getter or setter, your property isn't considered automatic anymore anyway.
Auto properties are simply there to save the tedium of typing, and eyesore of seeing, multitudes of these:
private object _x;
public object X
{
get { return _x; }
set { _x = value; }
}
You can't have a an "automatic" get and a "manual" set (or a "manual" get with an "automatic" set). You must have both "manual" or both "automatic".
Related
Can someone tell me, what is the porpose of using a public property for a private class member but not implementing anything in the set and get part? I know that it could be just for examples and that later on you can implement something but I don't know if there is any meaning using it like that
I am going to assume you know there is a private field generated by the C# compiler as the field backing up this property. It is syntactic sugar. I am also going to assume you know this is an auto-implemented property. So what is the point of a property if it public with no logic in the get or set. In other words, any class can access it and set its value. So why choose this property over a public field?
Purpose of it is:
Today the get and set is empty but it may need code in the future. To avoid breaking a contract in the future, you use an empty get and set.
Most .NET databinding can be done against properties but not fields. So although it is empty, it still serves a far greater purpose.
The get and set can have access modifiers. For example, you can say set is private but get is public.
A field cannot be used in interfaces but properties can.
This is an "auto-implemented" property in C#. In effect, the property acts as a full property, i.e.:
This:
public int Number { get; set; }
Is equivalent to:
private int _number;
public int Number
{
get
{
return this._number;
}
set
{
this._number = value;
}
}
This prevents you from having to type out the full property declaration. This is useful when you don't have any additional logic in the getter and/or setter.
If you're creating simple data mapping and transfer classes, auto-implementing properties can make the class definition far more concise.
When you see
public int Count { get; set; }
as a member of a class, that is not nothing. You're just deferring to the default implementation of auto-properties. It's roughly,
private int _count;
public int get__Count()
{
return _count;
}
public void set__Count(int value)
{
_count = value;
}
You just have syntactic sugar in C# to use these methods roughly like a field, i.e.
instanceOfObject.Count = 42; // Not a field access, but behind the scenes a method call.
My question about set and get methods..
Although I know how to use and why it is using for, I cant understand main differences between these using styles...
public string a{get;set;}
public string a
{
get{return a;}
set{a=value;}
}
The first form is Auto implemented properties in C#
In C# 3.0 and later, auto-implemented properties make
property-declaration more concise when no additional logic is required
in the property accessors.
The second form (although incorrect) in current form requires a backing field explicitly defined and you can put explicit code for setting and reading the values.
Second form can be like:
private string _a; // a backing field
public string a
{
get
{
return _a;
}
set
{
if (a != null) //some validation
_a = value;
else
_a = string.Empty;
}
}
(Currently your second form of property would cause a stackoverflow exception since it will enter in an infinite loop)
If you want to wite less code, use the first form, called auto property. Behind the scene, the compiler will create the backing field for you.
If you have some procesing in the property, use the standard way
public string A{get;set;} //Auto property
public string A
{
get{return a;}`
set{
//Do some check-Processing
if(value != null)
a=value;
}
}
The first one will generate an implicit field your values will be written to and read from. These are called "auto implemented properties". Whereas in the second, you explicitly name the fields your property will write to and read from. From MSDN:
In C# 3.0 and later, auto-implemented properties make property-declaration more concise when no additional logic is required in the property accessors. They also enable client code to create objects. When you declare a property as shown in the following example, the compiler creates a private, anonymous backing field that can only be accessed through the property's get and set accessors.
Your implementation
public string a
{
get{return a;}
set{a=value;}
}
will cause a StackoverflowException as you are calling a recursively in the get-accessor.
Change it to
private string a;
public string A{
get{ return a; }
set{ a = value; }
}
Let's take an example :
private string _chars;
public string Chars
{
get { return _chars; }
set
{
DoSomeThingSpecialWhenEdited();
_chars = value;
}
}
Can give you a choice to trigger DoSomeThingSpecialWhenEdited or not by setting _chars or Chars
Otherwise, the two are equivalent (Note that the latter is infinite loop) .
This question already has answers here:
Closed 10 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
In C# what does this code with “get” mean?
I'm using open source project. In this project there is function.
public virtual ICollection<Customer> AffiliatedCustomers
{
get
{
return _affiliatedCustomers ?? (_affiliatedCustomers = new List<Customer>());
}
protected set { _affiliatedCustomers = value; }
}
I don't understand what is the meaning of "get".
Can you please explain this function.
AffiliatedCustomers is a property.
The get defines the property getter, which is a method used internally to return the value by the property. It allows you to use this given an instance of the class like so:
var customers = theClass.AffiliatedCustomers; // Looks like a field, but is a property
Properties can also have a set section, as well, as this one does (protected set { _affiliatedCustomers = value; }), which gives you control over what happens when you set the value via the Property.
For details, see Properties in C#.
This is not a function. It is a property. A property is basically a fancy wrapper for some variable. For example, declaring the following property:
public string SomeProperty { get; set; }
will actually compile to something like this:
private string backing_SomeProperty;
public void set_SomeProperty(string value)
{
backing_SomeProperty = value;
}
public int get_SomeProperty()
{
return backing_SomeProperty;
}
That's an example of an automatic property. Of course, you can also define the getter and setter methods yourself like this:
public string SomeProperty
{
get
{
// some logic code here
// then return some value
}
set
{
// some logic code here
// then set some value
}
}
This is a property,
Quoted by msdn:
Properties are members that provide a flexible mechanism to read, write, or compute the values of private fields. Properties can be used as though they are public data members, but they are actually special methods called accessors. This enables data to be accessed easily while still providing the safety and flexibility of methods.
Please refer to this link for more:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/x9fsa0sw(v=vs.80).aspx
Properties have a getter and a setter - their purpose is obvious (to get and set the value of the property).
When you use auto properties, there is still a get and a set, but the backing variable is automatically implemented for you. In the example you have given the author of the code has chosen to have their own implementation of the get - in this case to automatically initialise the member variable the first time the property is accessed.
I saw some get set method to set values. Can anyone tell me the purpose of this?
public string HTTP_USER_NAME
{
get
{
return UserName;
}
set
{
UserName = value;
}
}
public string HTTP_USER_PASSWORD
{
get
{
return UserPwd;
}
set
{
UserPwd = value;
}
}
Actually why use these things. For global access, or is there some other reason for this type of thing?
They are just accessors and mutators. That's how properties are implemented in C#
In C# 3 you can use auto-implemented properties like this:
public int MyProperty { get; set; }
This code is automatically translated by the compiler to code similar to the one you posted, with this code is easier to declare properties and they are ideal if you don't want to implement custom logic inside the set or get methods, you can even use a different accessor for the set method making the property immutable
public int MyProperty { get; private set; }
In the previous sample the MyProperty will be read only outside the class where it was declared, the only way to mutate it is by exposing a method to do it or just through the constructor of the class. This is useful when you want to control and make explicit the state change of your entity
When you want to add some logic to the properties then you need to write the properties manually implementing the get and set methods just like you posted:
Example implementing custom logic
private int myProperty;
public int MyProperty
{
get
{
return this.myProperty;
}
set
{
if(this.myProperty <=5)
throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("bad user");
this.myProperty = value;
}
}
It seems as though you understand the functionality of getters and setters, and others answered that question. "Normal" class variables (without getters and setters) are called "fields", and "properties" (which have the getters and setters) encapsulate fields.
The purpose of properties is to control outside access to fields. If you want a variable to be read-only to outside logic, you can omit the setters, like so:
private int dataID;
public int DataID {
get { return dataID; }
}
You can also make the setter private and achieve the same read-only functionality.
If an object has a chance of being null (for whatever reason), you can guarantee an instance always exists like this:
private Object instance;
public Object Instance {
get {
if (instance == null)
instance = new Object();
return instance;
}
}
Another use for properties is defining indexers.
//in class named DataSet
private List<int> members;
public int this[int index] {
get { return members[index]; }
}
With that indexer defined, you can access an instance of DataSet like this:
int member = dataSet[3];
Check these links,.. they gives clear explanation.
http://www.dotnetperls.com/property
http://code.anjanesh.net/2008/02/property-getters-setters.html
if UserName and UserPwd are class variables, better to use like this
_userName
_userPwd
Standard way to implement properties in C#. UserName and UserPwd are private member variables (string type) of the class where these 2 methods are defined.
HTTP_USER_NAME and HTTP_USER_PASSWORD are the public properties of your class. UserName and UserPwd could be your private field. And you are allowing other people to set or get the values via these public properties. No direct accesss to private propeties. Also you can do some logic inside the get method of the property.Ex : you will have a public property called Age and in the get method of that, you may read the value of your private field called "dateOfBirth" and do some calculation ( CurrentYear-dateOfBirth) and return that as the Age.
Properties are just accessors over fields. They allow to do certain operations (if needed), and provide controlled access to fields.
If you want to know when to use Properties, and when to use Only fields, Check the link Properties vs Fields – Why Does it Matter? (Jonathan Aneja)
From Properties (C# Programming Guide)
A property is a member that provides a flexible mechanism to read, write, or compute the value of a private field. Properties can be used as if they are public data members, but they are actually special methods called accessors. This enables data to be accessed easily and still helps promote the safety and flexibility of methods.
In this example, the TimePeriod class stores a time period. Internally the class stores the time in seconds, but a property named Hours enables a client to specify a time in hours. The accessors for the Hours property perform the conversion between hours and seconds.
Example
class TimePeriod
{
private double seconds;
public double Hours
{
get { return seconds / 3600; }
set { seconds = value * 3600; }
}
}
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
TimePeriod t = new TimePeriod();
// Assigning the Hours property causes the 'set' accessor to be called.
t.Hours = 24;
// Evaluating the Hours property causes the 'get' accessor to be called.
System.Console.WriteLine("Time in hours: " + t.Hours);
}
}
// Output: Time in hours: 24
Properties Overview
Properties enable a class to expose a public way of getting and setting values, while hiding implementation or verification code.
A get property accessor is used to return the property value, and a set accessor is used to assign a new value. These accessors can have different access levels. For more information, see Restricting Accessor Accessibility (C# Programming Guide).
The value keyword is used to define the value being assigned by the set accessor.
Properties that do not implement a set accessor are read only.
For simple properties that require no custom accessor code, consider the option of using auto-implemented properties. For more information, see Auto-Implemented Properties (C# Programming Guide).
In much of the code I have seen (on SO, thecodeproject.com and I tend to do this in my own code), I have seen public properties being created for every single private field that a class contains, even if they are the most basic type of get; set; like:
private int myInt;
public int MyInt
{
get { return myInt; }
set { myInt = value }
}
My question is: how does this differ from:
public int MyInt;
and if we should use properties instead of public fields why should we use them in this specific case? (I am not talking about more complex examples where the getters and setters actually do something special or there is only one get or set (read/write only) rather than just returning/setting a value of a private field). It does not seem to add any extra encapsulation, only give a nice icon in IntelliSense and be placed in a special section in class diagrams!
See this article http://blog.codinghorror.com/properties-vs-public-variables/
Specifically
Reflection works differently on variables vs. properties, so if you rely on reflection, it's easier to use all properties.
You can't databind against a variable.
Changing a variable to a property is a breaking change.
Three reasons:
You cannot override fields in subclasses like you can properties.
You may eventually need a more complex getter or setter, but if it's a field, changing it would break the API.
Convention. That's just the way it's done.
I'm sure there are more reasons that I'm just not thinking of.
In .Net 3.x you can use automatic properties like this:
public int Age { get; set; }
instead of the old school way with declaring your private fields yourself like this:
private int age;
public int Age
{
get { return age; }
set { age = value; }
}
This makes it as simple as creating a field, but without the breaking change issue (among other things).
When you create private field name and a simple public property Name that actually gets and sets the name field value
public string Name
{
get { return name; }
}
and you use this property everywhere outside your class and some day you decide that the Name property of this class will actually refer to the lastName field (or that you want to return a string "My name: "+name), you simply change the code inside the property:
public string Name
{
get { return lastName; //return "My name: "+name; }
}
If you were using public field name everywhere in the outside code then you would have to change name to lastName everywhere you used it.
Well it does make a difference. Public data can be changed without the object instance knowing about it. Using getters and setters the object is always aware that a change has been made.
Remember that encapsulating the data is only the first step towards a better structured design, it's not an end-goal in itself.
You have to use properties in the following cases:
When you need to serialize data in the property to some format.
When you need to override properties in derived class.
When you implement get and set methods with some logic. For example, when you implement Singleton pattern.
When you're derived from interface, where property was declared.
When you have specific issues related to Reflection.
It... depends?
I always use getters & setters, since they created this shortcut:
public int Foo { get; set; }
At compile time it is translated. Now you can't get fancy with it, but it is there, and if you need to get fancy you just spell it out later.
However public, private, protected... it's all a matter of who you want to be able to tweak the data. We use inheritance a lot and this is a very common method for us, so that only chidren can edit certain properties.
protected _foo;
public Foo
{
get { return _foo; }
} //lack of set intentional.
I can't believe that with 11 answers, nobody has said this:
Not all private fields should be exposed as public properties. You should certainly use properties for anything that needs to be non-private, but you should keep as much of your class private as possible.
There are many reasons why.
Mainly:
You can do some other functions when the variable is set
You can prevent setting and provide only get
Some 'things' only work on properties (DataBinding, for example)
You can hide the implementation of the property [perhaps it is a ViewState variable, in ASP.NET).
The point is - what if further down the line you want to make sure that every time myInt is referenced something special happens (a log file is written to, it's changed to 42 etc)? You can't do that without getters and setters. Sometimes it's wise to program for what you might need, not what you need right now.
Actually, if you're using Silverlight, you'll realise that fields cannot be set a static resources and thus you'll have to use a property (even to access a const).
I've realised that when I tried to federate the region names I use in Composite Guidance (PRISM).
However, that's just a language limitations and apart from static/const fields I alsways use properties.
The idea is you should not accidentally/unintentionally change the value of a class private field outside.
When you use get and set, that means you are changing the class private field intentionally and knowingly.
Setting a value into a private field only changes that field,but making them in property you can handle another arguments for example,you can call a method after setting a value
private string _email;
public string Email
{
get
{
return this._email;
}
set
{
this._email = value;
ReplaceList(); //**
}
}
In simpler words, answer to your question is the access modifiers i.e. public and private.
If you use:
public int myInt;
public int MyInt
{
get { return myInt; }
set { myInt = value }
}
then both MyInt property and myInt variable is available in the project to be modified.
Means, if your class suppose A is inherited by class suppose B,
then myInt and MyInt both are available for modification and no check can be applied.
Suppose you want myInt value can be set in derive class if some particular condition pass.
This can be achieved only by making field private and property to be public.
So that only property is available and conditions can be set based on that.