Скачать или смотреть The Benefits of Using Expression-Bodied Properties for Primitive Values in C#

Explore the advantages of expression-bodied properties in C# . Learn how they differ from traditional property declarations and when to use them effectively.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/62958381/ asked by the user 'TomDane' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/3056525/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/62958437/ provided by the user 'Blindy' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/108796/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Why use expression-bodied properties for primitive values?

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Understanding Expression-Bodied Properties in C#

In the world of C# programming, developers are frequently faced with choices regarding how to implement properties within their classes. One such choice is between expression-bodied properties and traditional property declarations. This raises an important question:

Why use expression-bodied properties for primitive values?

While seemingly straightforward, this question opens up a robust discussion about the differences, benefits, and drawbacks of the two approaches. Let's dive into this topic to uncover the nuances.

What are Expression-Bodied Properties?

Expression-bodied properties use the => syntax instead of a traditional getter/setter pair. For example:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This is in contrast to a traditional field declaration, such as:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

While both serve to define Foo, they do so in notably different ways.

Key Differences: Expression-Bodied Properties vs. Straight Declarations

Understanding the distinctions between expression-bodied properties and straightforward field declarations is crucial. Here are the main differences:

Property vs. Field:

Expression-bodied property: Acts as a property, which offers additional benefits like encapsulation. For instance, you cannot use ref on a property.

Field: Is a public variable and lacks the encapsulation benefits.

Evaluation Behavior:

Property: Gets evaluated every time it's accessed, returning a new object instance even if it’s a string literal.

Field: Is initialized once. When accessed, it's merely loaded, providing better performance in cases where you want to return the same value repeatedly.

Mutable vs. Read-Only:

Expression-bodied property: Typically read-only when employed like public string Foo => "Bar";.

Field: Can be mutable if you declare it without readonly, allowing for assignment after declaration.

A more appropriate use of properties in this context could be either a readonly property:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

or a static readonly property:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

When to Use Expression-Bodied Properties

Read-Only Values: When the value should not change after initialization, using an expression-bodied property can enhance code readability.

Encapsulation: If encapsulation is necessary, prefer properties over fields, benefiting from the ability to modify access later without breaking public contracts.

Consistency and Clarity: Often, using properties (even when the underlying values are primitive types) can yield clearer and more uniform code, especially in larger codebases.

Conclusion

Using expression-bodied properties in C# for primitive values may seem unnecessary at first glance. However, the differences in encapsulation, immutability, and evaluation behavior make them a valuable tool for a clean and effective coding style. Remember that while traditional field declarations are simple, properties often provide benefits that can facilitate better programming practices and maintainability.

By understanding when to use each approach, developers can write clearer, more efficient code that remains adaptable to future changes.