C# property

In C#, a property is a member of a class that provides access to a private field or a computed value. It is used to encapsulate the internal state of an object and provides a way to access and modify the values of the fields. In other words, it is a programming construct that allows us to expose the internal data of a class to the outside world while controlling how it is accessed and modified.

Properties are similar to fields in that they hold values, but they are accessed through methods. This provides a layer of abstraction that allows us to control how the value is read or written. Properties can be read-only, write-only, or read-write.

A read-only property can be accessed from outside the class, but its value cannot be changed. A write-only property allows us to set the value, but it cannot be read from outside the class. A read-write property can be both accessed and changed from outside the class.

In C#, properties are declared using the get and set accessors. The get accessor is used to retrieve the value of the property, while the set accessor is used to set the value of the property. Here is an example of a simple property:

public class Person
{
    private string _name;

    public string Name
    {
        get { return _name; }
        set { _name = value; }
    }
}

In this example, the Name property is declared with a private backing field _name. The get accessor returns the value of the _name field, while the set accessor sets the value of the _name field.

Properties can also be declared using an auto-implemented property syntax, which reduces the amount of code we need to write. Here is an example:

public class Person
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

In this example, the Name property is declared using the auto-implemented property syntax. This syntax automatically generates a private backing field and the get and set accessors for the property.

Properties can also have additional access modifiers like private, protected, internal, or protected internal to control the visibility of the property.