Error: "Cannot modify the return value" c#

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I'm using auto-implemented properties. I guess the fastest way to fix following is to declare my own backing variable?

public Point Origin { get; set; }

Origin.X = 10; // fails with CS1612

Error Message: Cannot modify the return value of 'expression' because it is not a variable

An attempt was made to modify a value type that was the result of an intermediate expression. Because the value is not persisted, the value will be unchanged.

To resolve this error, store the result of the expression in an intermediate value, or use a reference type for the intermediate expression.

8 Answers

I think a lot of people are getting confused here, this particular issue is related to understanding that value type properties return a copy of the value type (as with methods and indexers), and value type fields are accessed directly. The following code does exactly what you are trying to achieve by accessing the property's backing field directly (note: expressing a property in its verbose form with a backing field is the equivalent of an auto property, but has the advantage that in our code we can access the backing field directly):

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var myClass = new MyClass();
        myClass.SetOrigin();
        Debug.Assert(myClass.Origin.X == 10); //succeeds
    }
}

class MyClass
{
    private Point _origin;
    public Point Origin
    { 
        get => _origin; 
        set => _origin = value; 
    }

    public void SetOrigin()
    {
        _origin.X = 10; //this works
        //Origin.X = 10; // fails with CS1612;
    }
}

The error you are getting is an indirect consequence of not understanding that a property returns a copy of a value type. If you are returned a copy of a value type and you do not assign it to a local variable then any changes you make to that copy can never be read and therefore the compiler raises this as an error since this cannot be intentional. If we do assign the copy to a local variable then we can change the value of X, but it will only be changed on the local copy, which fixes the compile time error, but will not have the desired effect of modifiying the Origin property. The following code illustrates this, since the compilation error is gone, but the debug assertion will fail:

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var myClass = new MyClass();
        myClass.SetOrigin();
        Debug.Assert(myClass.Origin.X == 10); //throws error
    }
}

class MyClass
{
    private Point _origin;
    public Point Origin
    { 
        get => _origin; 
        set => _origin = value; 
    }

    public void SetOrigin()
    {
        var origin = Origin;
        origin.X = 10; //this is only changing the value of the local copy
    }
}

Aside from debating the pros and cons of structs versus classes, I tend to look at the goal and approach the problem from that perspective.

That being said, if you don't need to write code behind the property get and set methods (as in your example), then would it not be easier to simply declare the Origin as a field of the class rather than a property? I should think this would allow you to accomplish your goal.

struct Point
{
    public int X { get; set; }
    public int Y { get; set; }
}

class MyClass
{
    public Point Origin;
}

MyClass c = new MyClass();
c.Origin.X = 23;   // No error.  Sets X just fine

Just remove the property "get set" as follow, and then everything works as always.

In case of primitive types instread use the get;set;...

using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;
using System;

namespace DL
{
    [Serializable()]
    public class CameraProperty
    {
        #region [READONLY PROPERTIES]
        public static readonly string CameraPropertyVersion = "v1.00";
        #endregion [READONLY PROPERTIES]


        /// <summary>
        /// CONSTRUCTOR
        /// </summary>
        public CameraProperty() {
            // INIT
            Scrolling               = 0f;
            CameraPos               = new Vector2(0f, 0f);
        }
        #region [PROPERTIES]   

        /// <summary>
        /// Scrolling
        /// </summary>
        public float Scrolling { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Position of the camera
        /// </summary>
        public Vector2 CameraPos;
        // instead of: public Vector2 CameraPos { get; set; }

        #endregion [PROPERTIES]

    }
}      
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