Auto Property with public getter and private setter

Question

NOTE: This is not a duplicate of VB.NET equivalent of C# property shorthand?. This question is about how to have different access rights on getter and setter of a VB auto-property; e.g public getter and private setter. That question is about the syntax for auto-property (and does not mention this issue).

I am trying to convert an auto Property (public getter and private setter) from C# to VB.NET.

But after conversion VB.NET is maintaining a private field.

C# code

class DemoViewModel { DemoViewModel (){ AddCommand = new RelayCommand(); } public ICommand AddCommand {get;private set;} }

VB.NET equivalent from code converter is

Class DemoViewModel Private Sub New() AddCommand = New RelayCommand() End Sub Public Property AddCommand() As ICommand Get Return m_AddCommand End Get Private Set m_AddCommand = Value End Set End Property Private m_AddCommand As ICommand End Class

VB.NET code generates private backing field.

Is it possible to get rid of this back field in source code (like c#)? How?

Without this feature, VB.NET source will have lots of such redundancy.

I guess disregard that possible duplicate. I missed the info on the private setter. — LarsTech
– LarsTech, Commented Dec 29, 2012 at 19:32

p3tch · Accepted Answer · 2018-12-05 09:10:38Z

18

In VB.NET it's

Public ReadOnly Property Value As String

Then to access the private setter, you use an underscore before your property name

Me._Value = "Fred"

answered Dec 5, 2018 at 9:10

p3tch

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1 Comment

Arkane Over a year ago

This does not work for me (compilation error). However, your solution is specified in the Microsoft docs here: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/visual-basic/programming-guide/…. I think it only works from a certain version of VB.Net.

Walkman · Accepted Answer · 2020-10-05 21:14:16Z

Using VB.NET, if you want to specify different accessibility for the Get and Set procedure, then you cannot use an auto-implemented property and must instead use standard, or expanded, property syntax.

Read MSDN: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/visual-basic/programming-guide/language-features/procedures/auto-implemented-properties

If getter and setter have same accessibility, e.g. both are Public, then you can use the auto-property syntax, e.g.:

Public Property Prop2 As String = "Empty"

Note: in MSDN link, the section that says can't use auto-property syntax in this case, is "Property Definitions That Require Standard Syntax", specifically "Specify different accessibility for the Get and Set procedure. For example, you might want to make the Set procedure Private and the Get procedure Public."

dba · Accepted Answer · 2018-06-28 09:00:41Z

since the answer(s) above hold(s), you may introduce a Public Prop to expose the Private one. This may not be a nice solution but still less code, than expanded Property syntax

Private Property internalprop as object Public Readonly Property exposedprop as Object = internalprop

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