C# Encapsulation: Protecting Data and Improving Code Maintainability

Understand and implement encapsulation, a fundamental principle of object-oriented programming (OOP) in C#. This tutorial explains how encapsulation protects data from unauthorized access, improves code organization, and enhances the reliability and maintainability of your C# applications.

Encapsulation in C#

Encapsulation is a fundamental principle of object-oriented programming (OOP). It involves bundling data (fields or properties) and the methods that operate on that data within a single unit—a class. The main goal is to protect the data from unauthorized access or modification from outside the class.

Understanding Encapsulation

Encapsulation promotes data integrity and code maintainability. It helps prevent accidental or malicious changes to an object's internal state. Access to an object's data is controlled through methods (often getter and setter methods for properties).

Example: Encapsulating Student Data

This example demonstrates a `Student` class with encapsulated properties. Notice that the fields are `private`, and you access them using public `get` and `set` accessors:

public class Student {
    private string _id;
    private string _name;
    private string _email;

    public string ID {
        get { return _id; }
        set { _id = value; }
    }
    // Similarly for Name and Email properties
}

The fields are private, meaning only methods within the `Student` class can directly access them. The public properties (`ID`, `Name`, `Email`) provide controlled access to these fields.