C# constructor initializing properties instead of fields?

Question

Let's say that you have to use an constructor to initialize some fields...

class Foo
{
    private int price;
    public Foo(int price)
    {
        this.price = price;
    }
}

I know that usually the constructor initializes some fields but what's the difference if I initialize properties with it. For example

class Foo
{
    private int price { get; set; }
    public Foo(int price)
    {
        this.price = price;
    }
}

The code seems to work the same but my question is if this is good practice and should I do it ?

Jon Skeet · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-09 16:49:34Z

3

It's fine for a constructor to initialize properties, but it's rarely useful to have private automatically-implemented properties. I'd always use properties rather than fields for non-private state (whether those properties are automatically implemented or not) and private properties make sense when they're non-trivial, e.g. performing validation or some other computation. But I'd only turn a private field into a private automatically-implemented property if I wanted it for something like a reflection-based library that only understood properties.

answered Apr 9, 2017 at 16:49

Jon Skeet

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Steve Land · Accepted Answer · 2017-07-21 11:19:30Z

1

Absolutely fine.

For more flexibility (e.g. if price isnt required), you can also do this with object initialization:

class Foo
{
    public Foo() {}

    public int Price { get; set; }
}

var newFoo = new Foo(){ Price = someVariable };

See: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb397680.aspx

edited Jul 21, 2017 at 11:19

answered Apr 9, 2017 at 17:06

Steve Land

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