Set Default Value to Property in C#

 

Set Default Value to Property in C#

In C#, properties are used to encapsulate class fields and provide a convenient way to access and modify their values. When you define a property, you can set a default value for it, which is the value that the property will have by default unless it is explicitly set to a different value. In this blog, we will explore how to set a default value to a property in C#.

Understanding Setting Default Values to Properties in C#:

When you define a property in C#, you can set its default value by initializing the backing field or using a default value expression in the property declaration. Here's an example:

public class MyClass

{

    private int _myProperty = 42;

   

    public int MyProperty

    {

        get { return _myProperty; }

        set { _myProperty = value; }

    }

}

In this example, we have a class called MyClass that has a property called MyProperty. We are initializing the backing field for MyProperty to the value 42, which will be the default value for the property.

Alternatively, you can use a default value expression in the property declaration to set the default value for the property:

public class MyClass

{

    public int MyProperty { get; set; } = 42;

}

In this example, we are using a default value expression to set the default value for MyProperty to 42.

Setting Default Values to Properties in Derived Classes:

When you define a derived class, you can set a default value for the properties in the base class by calling the base constructor and passing in the default values. Here's an example:

public class BaseClass

{

    public int MyProperty { get; set; } = 42;

}

public class DerivedClass : BaseClass

{

    public DerivedClass() : base() {}

}

In this example, we have a base class called BaseClass that has a property called MyProperty with a default value of 42. We also have a derived class called DerivedClass that calls the base constructor to set the default value for MyProperty to 42.

In this blog, we explored how to set a default value to a property in C#. We discussed initializing the backing field or using a default value expression in the property declaration to set the default value for a property. We also discussed how to set default values for properties in derived classes by calling the base constructor. Setting default values for properties in C# can be a useful feature, as it provides a convenient way to initialize the state of an object.