C# Get/Set Syntax Usage

Question

These are declarations for a Person class.

protected int ID { get; set; } protected string Title { get; set; } protected string Description { get; set; } protected TimeSpan jobLength { get; set; } 

How do I go about using the get/set? In main, I instantiate a

Person Tom = new Person(); 

How does Tom.set/get??

I am use to doing C++ style where you just write out the int getAge() and void setAge() functions. But in C# there are shortcuts handling get and set?

Answer 1

Assuming you have access to them (the properties you've declared are protected), you use them like this:

Person tom = new Person(); tom.Title = "A title"; string hisTitle = tom.Title; 

These are properties. They're basically pairs of getter/setter methods (although you can have just a getter, or just a setter) with appropriate metadata. The example you've given is of automatically implemented properties where the compiler is adding a backing field. You can write the code yourself though. For example, the Title property you've declared is like this:

private string title; // Backing field protected string Title {     get { return title; }  // Getter     set { title = value; } // Setter } 

... except that the backing field is given an "unspeakable name" - one you can't refer to in your C# code. You're forced to go through the property itself.

You can make one part of a property more restricted than another. For example, this is quite common:

private string foo; public string Foo {     get { return foo; }     private set { foo = value; } } 

or as an automatically implemented property:

public string Foo { get; private set; } 

Here the "getter" is public but the "setter" is private.

Answer 2

Assuming you have a song class (you can refer below), the traditional implementation would be like as follows

 class Song   {        private String author_name;        public String setauthorname(String X) {}; //implementation goes here        public String getauthorname() {}; //implementation goes here   } 

Now, consider this class implementation.

      class Song        {             private String author_name;             public String Author_Name             {                   get { return author_name; }                 set { author_name= value; }              }       } 

In your 'Main' class, you will wrote your code as

    class TestSong     {        public static void Main(String[] Args)       {           Song _song = new Song(); //create an object for class 'Song'               _song.Author_Name = 'John Biley';           String author = _song.Author_Name;                      Console.WriteLine("Authorname = {0}"+author);       }     } 

Point to be noted;

The method you set/get should be public or protected(take care) but strictly shouldnt be private.