Chapter 2.4: Object-Oriented Programming with C#: Understanding Access Modifiers in C# (Public, Private, Protected, Internal)

 Introduction:

In our previous articles, we discussed various aspects of Object-Oriented Programming with C#, such as classes, objects, inheritance, constructors, destructors, interfaces, delegates, and events. In this article, we'll explore access modifiers, which control the visibility and accessibility of class members. In the next article, we'll cover properties, indexers, and operator overloading.

Public:

The public access modifier allows class members to be accessible from any code in the same assembly or another assembly that references it. This is the least restrictive access level:

public class Person
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
}

Private:

The private access modifier restricts the visibility of class members to the containing class. This is the most restrictive access level and is the default access level for class members:

class Person
{
    private string name;
    private int age;

    public string GetName()
    {
        return name;
    }

    public void SetName(string value)
    {
        name = value;
    }
}

Protected:

The protected access modifier allows class members to be accessible within the containing class and any derived classes:

class Person
{
    protected string Name { get; set; }
    protected int Age { get; set; }
}

class Employee : Person
{
    public void PrintName()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Name: " + Name);
    }
}

Internal:

The internal access modifier allows class members to be accessible only within the same assembly. This is useful when you want to expose functionality within an assembly without making it available to other assemblies:

internal class Utility
{
    internal static void DoSomething()
    {
        //...
    }
}

Conclusion:

In this article, we covered access modifiers in C#, including public, private, protected, and internal. Understanding these access modifiers is crucial for controlling the visibility and accessibility of your class members, ensuring proper encapsulation and promoting good software design principles. In the next article, we'll discuss properties, indexers, and operator overloading, which are powerful tools for creating more expressive and user-friendly classes in C#. Stay tuned for more C# learning!