Chapter 5: Holding a Class Responsible
In This Chapter
Letting the class protect itself through access control
Introducing the property, a specialized kind of method
Allowing an object to initialize itself via the constructor
Defining multiple constructors for the same class
Constructing static or class members
A class must be held responsible for its actions. Just as a microwave oven shouldn’t burst into flames if you press the wrong key, a class shouldn’t allow itself to roll over and die when presented with incorrect data.
To be held responsible for its actions, a class must ensure that its initial state is correct and then control its subsequent state so that it remains valid. C# provides both these capabilities.
Restricting Access to Class Members
Simple classes define all their members as public. Consider a BankAccount program that maintains a balance data member to retain the balance in each account. Making that data member public puts everyone on the honor system.
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