What is the difference between readonly property and function in .net?

user_3204 0
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Apart from an architectural point of view, i'm wondering if there is any difference in .net between a readonly property and a function. Are properties only conceptual wrappers around functions?

    Private m_Property As String 
    Public ReadOnly Property PropertyGet() As String
        Get
            Return m_Property
        End Get
    End Property

    Public Function FunctionGet() As String
        Return m_Property
    End Function

Disassembling IL shows that there's no difference apart from the name, but are there differences at another level? Is the getter just a function in short(!?)hand?

Edit: wow, i'm really sorry about not being able to mark multiple answers.

The first answer that pointed out the use of properties to serialize was the road to enlightenment since i had completely left this aspect out. Before that, the explanation of property vs function as "is" vs "does" felt arbitrary. Now, i grok it more.

I think the consensus on property being not time consuming stems from the "is"/serializable concept. If my property talks to a database to store the "is" value, it breaks in horrible ways.

specifications grammar .net
12 Answers

I just realized that you can send parameters in a property exact same way you do it with methods. This implies you can write something like:

Private _ClientName As String

Public WriteOnly Property ClientName(isValid As Boolean) As String
    Set(value As String)
        If isValid Then
            _ClientName = value
        End If
    End Set
End Property

And then you can write this:

ClientName(debt = 0) = "Richard"

Or here is another idea to validate the text set to any label control:

Public WriteOnly Property OnlyNumbers(label As Label) As String
    Set(value As String)
        If Double.TryParse(value, New Double) Then
            label.Text = value
        End If
    End Set
End Property

Then you can use it like this:

OnlyNumbers(lblTotal) = debt

What I am not sure is if this is considered a "good practice" or at least a "correct" use of a property.

user_25076540
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