C# "must declare a body because it is not marked abstract, extern, or partial"

Question

I'm not sure why i'm getting this error to be honest.

private int hour
{
    get;
    set
    {
        //make sure hour is positive
        if (value < MIN_HOUR)
        {
            hour = 0;
            MessageBox.Show("Hour value " + value.ToString() + " cannot be negative. Reset to " + MIN_HOUR.ToString(),
                    "Invalid Hour", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation);
        }
        else
        {
            //take the modulus to ensure always less than 24 hours
            //works even if the value is already within range, or value equal to 24
            hour = value % MAX_HOUR;
        }
    }
}

I've also tried just doing an actual property:

public int hour 
{ 
    get; 
    set
    {
        //make sure hour is positive
        if (value < MIN_HOUR)
        {
            hour = 0;
            MessageBox.Show("Hour value " + value.ToString() + " cannot be negative. Reset to " + MIN_HOUR.ToString(),
                    "Invalid Hour", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation);
        }
        else
        {
            //take the modulus to ensure always less than 24 hours
            //works even if the value is already within range, or value equal to 24
            hour = value % MAX_HOUR;
        }
    } 
}

Suggestions?

Answer 1

Try this:

private int hour;
public int Hour
{
    get { return hour; }
    set
    {
        //make sure hour is positive
        if (value < MIN_HOUR)
        {
            hour = 0;
            MessageBox.Show("Hour value " + value.ToString() + " cannot be negative. Reset to " + MIN_HOUR.ToString(),
            "Invalid Hour", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation);
        }
        else
        {
            //take the modulus to ensure always less than 24 hours
            //works even if the value is already within range, or value equal to 24
            hour = value % MAX_HOUR;
        }
    }
}

Answer 2

You need to provide a body for the get; portion as well as the set; portion of the property.

I suspect you want this to be:

private int _hour; // backing field
private int Hour
    {
        get { return _hour; }
        set
        {
            //make sure hour is positive
            if (value < MIN_HOUR)
            {
                _hour = 0;
                MessageBox.Show("Hour value " + value.ToString() + " cannot be negative. Reset to " + MIN_HOUR.ToString(),
                "Invalid Hour", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation);
            }
            else
            {
                //take the modulus to ensure always less than 24 hours
                //works even if the value is already within range, or value equal to 24
                _hour = value % MAX_HOUR;
            }
        }
    }

That being said, I'd also consider making this code simpler. It's probably is better to use exceptions rather than a MessageBox inside of your property setter for invalid input, as it won't tie you to a specific UI framework.

If that is inappropriate, I would recommend converting this to a method instead of using a property setter. This is especially true since properties have an implicit expectation of being "lightweight"- and displaying a MessageBox to the user really violates that expectation.