When do we need to use [Browsable(true)]?

Question

When do we need to use [Browsable(true)]?

EDIT (by SLaks): He\'s asking (I assume) why one would need to pass true as the

Answer 1

Probably when you want to make damn sure no one changes it :P

// I want to see this, dont change it to false or I'll hunt you down...
[Browsable(true)]
public int MyProperty {
   get {
      // Insert code here.
      return 0;
   }
   set {
      // Insert code here.
   }
}

Answer 2

MSDN says it all:

Specifies whether a property or event should be displayed in a Properties window.

For example, if you're creating a User Control, you might want to decorate non-UI-related properties with [Browsable(false)] so that they will not be available through a "Properties" window.

Additionally, it controls which properties of an object can be seen in a PropertyGrid.

As for why we can pass true explicitly, I believe this is due to BrowsableAttributes property of a PropertyGrid. You can set it to contain BrowsableAttribute.No, so that the property grid will display all non-browsable members.

Answer 3

BrowsableAttribute Class (System.ComponentModel)

The documentation states:

A visual designer typically displays in the Properties window those members that either have no browsable attribute or are marked with the BrowsableAttribute constructor's browsable parameter set to true.

[Browsable] also defaults to true.

...so technically, you never need [Browsable(true)] unless you want to be very explicit.