What are access modifiers in C# and can you give me some examples?

What are access modifiers in C# and can you give me some examples?

Access modifiers in C# control the visibility of class members. The main ones are public, private, protected, and internal.

Can you explain each access modifier with examples?

Sure!

1. Public: Accessible from anywhere.

   public class MyClass {
       public int myPublicVar;
   }
   

2. Private: Accessible only within the same class.

   class MyClass {
       private int myPrivateVar;
   }
   

3. Protected: Accessible within the same class and by derived classes.

   class MyBaseClass {
       protected int myProtectedVar;
   }
   

4. Internal: Accessible only within the same assembly.

   internal class MyInternalClass {
       internal int myInternalVar;
   }
   

What happens if I don't specify an access modifier?

If you don't specify an access modifier, C# defaults to internal for classes and private for class members.

Can you give me a real-world scenario where access modifiers are useful?

Absolutely! Access modifiers help encapsulate data. For example, you might want to keep sensitive data private while exposing methods to manipulate that data publicly.