How to initialize auto-property to not null in C#?

Question

I have a property:

public Dictionary<string, string> MyProp { get; set; }

When I invoke that property to add an item, I get a NullReferenceException.

How would I do the null check in the property itself so it gives me a new one if it is null? While keeping in the auto-property pattern.

Answer 1

For other people falling over this old question, there is a new feature in C# 6.0.

In C# 6.0, you can also initialize that property to some constant value in the same statement, like this:

public Dictionary<string, string> MyProp { get; set; } = new Dictionary<string, string>();

Answer 2

You can initialize it in your constructor:

public MyClass()
{
  MyProp = new Dictionary<string, string>();
}