| C# Tutorial – Access Modifiers

C# ACCESS MODIFIERS

ACCESS MODIFIERS

 It is used to decide the scope of various programming elements like

variables, methods, constructor, properties etc,…
 It gives a scope and life time to object properties (instance variable
and method) and class properties (static variable and method)
 It is used to access the state (e.g. variable) and behavior (e.g. method)
of objects and class
SCOPE

 Indicates the availability of variables within the program

 Variables have two types of the scopes
 Local scope
 Global scope
TYPES OF MODIFIERS

1. Private 2. Public 3. Protected 4. Internal

1. PRIVATE MODIFIER

 It can be accessible only within a same class

 Private data can’t be accessible in outside of a class
 Like java, it is a default modifier to variables, methods and properties
in c#
 It gives global scope to both the variables (instance variable, static
variable) and methods (instance method, static method, constructor,
properties, etc..) in a same class and local scopes to both variables
and methods in a same namespace.

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| C# Tutorial – Access Modifiers

I. EXAMPLE OF PRIVATE MODIFIER

1. SOURCE CODE

using k=System.Console;
// instance class definition Private Instance Variable
class PrivateM
{
// private variable definition
private int j = 99;
// instance method
public void info()
{
k.WriteLine("j= "+j);
}
// main() method is placed in SAME CLASS
static void Main()
{
// object creation and calling default constructor
PrivateM obj = new PrivateM();
k.WriteLine("---------------------------------------");
k.WriteLine("\tC# Private Modifier ");
k.WriteLine("---------------------------------------");
// calling instance via object
obj.info(); Object Creation
}
}
2. OUTPUT

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| C# Tutorial – Access Modifiers

DRAWBACKS

 It is not possible to access the private variables in outside of class

and outside of same namespace or other namespace.

2. PUBLIC MODIFIER

 It is accessible anywhere in the programming (same namespace or

other namespace)

 It gives global scope to both the variables (instance variable, static

variable) and the methods (instance method, static method,
constructor, properties, etc..,) in a same namespace or other
namespace

II. EXAMPLE OF PUBLIC MODIFIER

(Accessing public data in outside of a class and inside of a namespace)

1. SOURCE CODE
using k = System.Console;
// user defined namespace ‘AccModifiers’
namespace AccModifiers
{
class Person
{ Container Class
public string name;
public int id;
}
class PublicM1
{
Person obj = new Person();
// Accessing public variables in outside of a class
void input(string s, int i)
{

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| C# Tutorial – Access Modifiers

obj.name = s;
obj.id = i;
}
void details()
{
k.WriteLine("Name\t: "+obj.name);
k.WriteLine("Id\t: " + obj.id);
}
static void Main()
{
k.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------------");
k.WriteLine("\t\tC# Public Modifier ");
k.WriteLine("\tAccessing Public Modifier in Outside of
class,\n\tInside of Same Namespace ");
k.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------------");
// object creation
PublicM1 pm = new PublicM1();
// calling 2 instance methods
pm.input("Surya",99);
pm.details();
k.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------------");
}
}
}

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2. OUTPUT

III. EXAMPLE OF PUBLIC MODIFIER

(Accessing public data in outside of a class and outside of a namespace)
1. SOURCE CODE

using k=System.Console; First Namespace

// user defined namespace 'pack'
namespace pack
{
class Test
{
public string name;
public int id;
public void input(string n, int i)
{
name = n;
id = i;
} Second Namespace
}
}
// user defined namespace 'AccModifiers'
namespace AccModifiers
{

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| C# Tutorial – Access Modifiers

class PublicM2
{
static void Main()
{
k.WriteLine("----------------------------------------------------------------");
k.WriteLine("\t\tC# Public Modifier II ");
k.WriteLine("\tAccessing Public Modifier in Outside of
class,\n\tOutside of Same Namespace ");
k.WriteLine("----------------------------------------------------------------");
// object creation for Test class
pack.Test tt = new pack.Test();
// accessing the public variables in outside of a namespace
// set the values of public variables in outside of a namespace
tt.input("Ganesh",201);
// print the details public variables in outside of a namespace
k.WriteLine("Name\t: " + tt.name);
k.WriteLine("Id\t: " + tt.id);
k.WriteLine("----------------------------------------------------------------");
}
}
}

2. OUTPUT

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| C# Tutorial – Access Modifiers

3. PROTECTED MODIFIER
 It is accessible only within a same class as well as in sub class (if
inheritance is involved)
 It is same as private modifier
 It gives global scope to the variables (instance variable, static
variable) and the methods (instance method, static method,
constructor, properties, etc..,) in a same class.
 It gives global scope to both variables and methods in a same
namespace (if inheritance is involved)
 It provides partial security to the application
IV. EXAMPLE OF PROTECTED MODIFIER

1. SOURCE CODE

using k = System.Console; Protected Instance Variable

class ProtectedM
{
// protect variable declaration
protected int i = 191;
static void Main()
{
// object creation & calling defult constructor
ProtectedM obj = new ProtectedM();
k.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------------");
k.WriteLine("\tC# Protected Modifier\n\tAccessing protected
variable\n\tonly within a same class");
k.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------------");
// calling protected variable via object
k.WriteLine("i= " + obj.i);
k.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------------");
}
}

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2. OUTPUT

DRAWBACKS

 It is not possible to access the protected variable in outside of

class and outside of same namespace or other namespace.

4. INTERNAL MODIFIER

 It is accessible anywhere in a same namespace

 It gives public scope (like public modifier) only to same namespace
not other namespace
 It is not possible to access the internal variable in outside of same
namespace
 It gives global scope to both variables and methods in same
namespace

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| C# Tutorial – Access Modifiers

V. EXAMPLE OF INTERNAL MODIFIER

1. SOURCE CODE

using System;
using k = System.Console;
namespace AccModifiers // user defined namespace
{
class A // complete class
{
internal int i = 283;
}
class B // B is container class
{
A obj = new A();
public void set(int a)
{ Internal Instance Variable
obj.i = a;
}
}
class C // C is also container class
{
A obj = new A();
public void disp()
{
k.WriteLine("i= " + obj.i);
}
}
class InternalM
{
static void Main()
{
k.WriteLine("-----------------------------------------------------");
k.WriteLine("\tC# Internal Modifier\n\tAccessing internal
variable\n\tanywhere in the current namespace");
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k.WriteLine("----------------------------------------------------");
B b1 = new B();
C c1 = new C();
// Accessing internal variable in class 'B' (Assignment)
b1.set(306);
// Accessing internal variable in class 'C' (Calling)
c1.disp();
k.WriteLine("----------------------------------------------------");
}
}

Container Class
 If a class contains an object of another class, then it is called as
container class

EXAMPLE
class A // Component or Control class
{
…
}
class B // Container class or Holder class
{
// object creation for class A
A obj =new A();
…
}

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2. OUTPUT

DRAWBACKS

 It is not possible to access the internal variable in outside of same

namespace.
VISIBILITY OF FIELDS IN A CLASS
S. Modifier Sam Sub class Other Sub class Other
N s e in the class in in the class in
class same the same other the other
namespac namespac namespac namespac
e e e e

1. Private Yes No No No No

2. Protecte Yes Yes No No No

d

3. Internal Yes Yes Yes Yes No

4. Public Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

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| C# Tutorial – Access Modifiers

DEFAULT MODIFIERS OF VARIOUS ELEMENTS

S.N PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS DEFAULT MODIFIERS

1. namespace - (it does not support modifiers)

2. class, structure, enum, internal

interface, delegate

3. class members (variables, private

methods, constructor,
destructor, properties, etc,..)

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