Question

I have a public property in some class. I want a default value -1 for this property without an private variable like _MyField(because too many properties in this class, i won’t add them one by one).

public int MyProperty { get; set; }

[DefaultValueAttribute] is not working for this issue i think. Any ideas? Thanks.

UPDATE @ Aug 2015 Now we have C# 6!

public int MyProperty { get; set; } = 100;

public string EasyToUse { get; } = "YES!";

Answer 1

You basically have two options – you can set the property in the constructor of the object, or use a private field.

Personally, I feel the constructor is the best option, as it’s clear to people reading your code what your intentions are for a fresh instance of your class.

[DefaultValue] is an attribute meant for use with visual designer functionality, and has no effect on your class logic.