Initialize a collection within an object?

Question

If an object has a property that is a collection, should the object create the collection object or make a consumer check for null? I know the consumer should not assume, just

Answer 1

I typically will create the collection then provide methods to add / remove items from the internal collection rather than making the consumer of the class worry about checking for null. This also gives you the ability to control better what happens to the collection. Ultimately it depends on what it is for, but most likely if your class has a collection it isn't just so that the consumer of the class can have a collection of those objects. Otherwise, why would they use your class?