Getter-Only & Auto Properties Initializers in C# 6

Banketeshvar Narayan

C#C# 6Auto Properties InitializersGetter-OnlyProperties Initializers

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Banketeshvar Narayan11y ago
Thanks Humayun Kabir Mamun
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Nice...
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Suman Verma11y ago
nice one
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Yaduveer Saini11y ago
Nice Article Banketeshvar Narayan
Banketeshvar Narayan11y ago
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Aishwarya D11y ago
helpful
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Banketeshvar Narayan11y ago
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Santhakumar Munuswamy11y ago
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Banketeshvar Narayan11y ago
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Getter-only auto properties

Before C# 6 it was mandatory to use setter with property but in C# 6 we can use it without setter.

In C# 5

public class MonthlySalary_Earning
{
public string MonthName { get;}
public double BasicSalary { get;}
public double HRAExemption { get;}
public double ConveyanceAllowance { get;}
public double PersonalAllowance { get;}
public double MedicalAllowance { get;}
public double TelephoneBill { get;}
public double Food_Bill { get;}
public double OtherBills { get;}
MonthlySalary_Earning()
{
MonthName = "Jan";
}
}

The above code will not compile in C# 5 or lower versions and give errors like the following,

'PropertyInitialization.MonthlySalary_Earning.MonthName.get' must declare a body because it is not marked abstract or extern. Automatically implemented properties must define both get and set accessors.

And so on,

But in C# 5 we have an option that we can use access modifier private/protected setter with property.

E.g.

public class MonthlySalary_Earning
{
public string MonthName { get; private set; }
public double BasicSalary { get; private set; }
public double HRAExemption { get; private set; }
public double ConveyanceAllowance { get; private set; }
public double PersonalAllowance { get; private set; }
public double MedicalAllowance { get; private set; }
public double TelephoneBill { get; private set; }
public double Food_Bill { get; private set; }
public double OtherBills { get; private set; }
MonthlySalary_Earning()
{
MonthName = "Jan";
}
}

public class MonthlySalary_Earning
{
public string MonthName { get; protected set; }
public double BasicSalary { get; protected set; }
public double HRAExemption { get; protected set; }
public double ConveyanceAllowance { get; protected set; }
public double PersonalAllowance { get; protected set; }
public double MedicalAllowance { get; protected set; }
public double TelephoneBill { get; protected set; }
public double Food_Bill { get; protected set; }
public double OtherBills { get; protected set; }
MonthlySalary_Earning()
{
MonthName = "Jan";
}
}

In C# 6

public class MonthlySalary_Earning
{
public string MonthName { get;}
public double BasicSalary { get;}
public double HRAExemption { get;}
public double ConveyanceAllowance { get;}
public double PersonalAllowance { get;}
public double MedicalAllowance { get;}
public double TelephoneBill { get;}
public double Food_Bill { get;}
public double OtherBills { get;}
public MonthlySalary_Earning()
{
MonthName = "Jan";
BasicSalary = 50000.0;
HRAExemption = 1000.0;
ConveyanceAllowance = 1600.0;
//set value for other properties also.
}
}

Auto properties initializers

In C# 6 we can initialize the properties at the time of declaration

public string MonthName { get; } = "Jan";
public double BasicSalary { get; } = 50000.0;
public double HRAExemption { get; } = 1000.0;
public double ConveyanceAllowance { get; } = 1600.0;
public double PersonalAllowance { get; } = 50000.0;
public double MedicalAllowance { get; } = 5000.0;
public double TelephoneBill { get; } = 5000.0;
public double Food_Bill { get; } = 5000.0;
public double OtherBills { get; } = 5000;

public string MonthName { get; set;} = "Jan";
public double BasicSalary { get; set;} = 50000.0;
public double HRAExemption { get; set;} = 1000.0;
public double ConveyanceAllowance { get; set;} = 1600.0;
public double PersonalAllowance { get; set;} = 50000.0;
public double MedicalAllowance { get; set;} = 5000.0;
public double TelephoneBill { get; set;} = 5000.0;
public double Food_Bill { get; set;} = 5000.0;
public double OtherBills { get; set;} = 5000;

But in C# 5 and lower version it is not supported. Let me change the language from C# 6 to C# 5 and see the result.

If you are not aware how to change the C# language version in Visual Studio 2015 then check it here.

After changing the language from C#6 to C# 5. Now look at the following code window,

It is clearly saying that the feature 'auto property initializer' is not available in C# 5. Please use language version 6 or greater.

Now I built this application and it throws the following build error.

built

Thus we can say that in C# 6, two useful features for properties has been added and they are Getter-only auto properties & Auto properties initializers.

In short we can say that in C# 6, the properties can be written as in the following:

public string MonthName { get; set; }
//or
public string MonthName { get; private set; }
//or
public string MonthName { get; protected set; }
//or
public string MonthName { get; }
//or
public string MonthName { get; } = "Jan";
//or
public string MonthName { get; set;} = "Jan";