C# Automatic Properties

Question

I\'m a bit confused on the point of Automatic properties in C# e.g

public string Forename{ get; set; }

I get that you are saving code by no

Answer 1

For one, you can set the property to virtual and implement logic in an inheriting class. You can also implement logic in the same class afterwards and there won't be side-effects on any code relying on the class.

Answer 2

You can write

public string Forename{ get; private set; }

to get read-only properties... Still not nearly as versatile as real properties, but it's a compromise that for some works.

Answer 3

When adding auto properties the compiler will add get set logic into the application, this means that if you later add to this logic, and references to your property from external libraries will still work.

If you migrated from a public variable to a property, this would be a breaking change for other libraries that reference yours - hence, why not start with an auto property? :)

Answer 4

A property is like a contract, and you can change the implemenation of a property without affecting the clients using your classes and properties. You may not have any logic today, but as business requirements change and if you want to introduce any code, properties are your safest bet. The following 2 links are excellent c# video tutorials. The first one explains the need of properties over just using fields and the second video explains different types of properties. I found them very useful.

Need for the Properties in C#

Poperties in C#, Read Only, Write Only, Read/Write, Auto Implemented

Answer 5

Take a look at the following code and explanation.
The most common implementation for a property is getter or a setter that simply reads and writes to a private field of the same type as a property. An automatic property declaration instructs the compiler to provide this implementation. The compiler automatically generates a private backing field.
Look into the following code:-

    public class Stock 
    {
      decimal currentPrice ;  // private backing field.
      public decimal CurrentPrice 
      {
        get { return currentPrice ; }
        set { currentPrice = value ; }
      }
   }

The same code can be rewritten as :-

   public class Stock
   {
     public decimal CurrentPrice { get ; set ; } // The compiler will auto generate a backing field.
   }

SOURCE:- C# in a Nutshell