Why have empty get set properties instead of using a public member variable? [duplicate]

by

One word: inheritance.

Properties are inheritable while fields are not. You can use fields in an inherited class, but not alter their behavior by making them virtual.

Like so:

public class Foo {
  public virtual int MyField = 1; // Nope, this can't

  public virtual int Bar {get; set; }
}

public class MyDerive : Foo {
  public override MyField; // Nope, this can't

  public override int Bar {
    get {
      //do something;
    }
    set; }
}

Edit: Besides the fact of inheritance, the points pointed out in the other answers (like visibility) are also a huge benefit of properties over fields.

More Related Contents:

  1. What is the difference between a field and a property?
  2. Communicate between two windows forms in C#
  3. How to get the list of properties of a class?
  4. Set object property using reflection
  5. Public Fields versus Automatic Properties
  6. What does the => operator mean in a property?
  7. How can I evaluate C# code dynamically?
  8. What are Automatic Properties in C# and what is their purpose?
  9. Difference between Property and Field in C# 3.0+
  10. Does C# have extension properties?
  11. How can I find a specific element in a List?
  12. C# thread safety with get/set
  13. Why is it impossible to override a getter-only property and add a setter? [closed]
  14. Is the C# compiler smart enough to optimize this code?
  15. What’s the difference between encapsulating a private member as a property and defining a property without a private member?
  16. C# Iterate through Class properties
  17. c# foreach (property in object)… Is there a simple way of doing this?
  18. C# property and ref parameter, why no sugar?
  19. C# add validation on a setter method
  20. Overloading getter and setter causes a stack overflow in C# [duplicate]
  21. Conditional “Browsable” Attribute
  22. How Can I add properties to a class on runtime in C#?
  23. Checking for null before ToString()
  24. C# Get property value without creating instance?
  25. The ‘this’ keyword as a property
  26. Properties.Settings.Default.Save(); -> Where is that file
  27. Pass property itself to function as parameter in C#
  28. How to set value of property where there is no setter
  29. How to check whether all properties of an object are null or empty?
  30. C# Reflection and Getting Properties

Leave a Comment