ReSharper 2021.3 Help

Use auto-properties

Auto-implemented properties (also known as auto-properties) allow declaring type properties that do not have additional logic in a simpler way. By default, ReSharper encourages using of auto-properties when possible, but this behavior is configurable.

By default, ReSharper highlights most of the properties that could be converted to auto-properties and suggests the corresponding quick-fix or fix in scope:

Use auto-property quick-fix

If you do not want ReSharper to suggest this, you can disable the code inspection that detects it (Convert property to auto-property). In this case, properties with backing fields are not highlighted and quick-fixes are not suggested, but you can still apply the conversion with the context action or with the corresponding refactoring:

To auto-property context action

The reverse functionality of converting existing auto-properties to properties with backing field is also available with the corresponding context action. You can also generate default bodies for property accessors using the To computed property context action:

To property with backing field context action

Another option to convert properties to auto-properties in a bulk mode is code cleanup. You can either run code cleanup with the Built-in: Full Cleanup profile or create and run a custom profile solely targeted at your specific task as described below.

Convert properties to auto-properties with custom Code Cleanup profile

  1. Select ReSharper | Options from the main menu or press Alt+R O.

  2. Go to the cleanup profiles settings page: Code Editing | Code Cleanup | Profiles.

  3. Create a new profile as described in the Create a new custom cleanup profile section. In the Selected profile settings section for the new profile, tick the Use auto-property, if possible checkbox. Optionally, you can enable other code cleanup tasks in this profile.

  4. Click Save in the Options dialog to apply the modifications and let ReSharper choose where to save them, or save the modifications to a specific settings layer using the Save To list. For more information, see manage and share resharper settings.

  5. Select the scope where you want to use auto-properties:

    • Set the caret anywhere in the file to use auto-properties to the file.

    • Select one or more items in the Solution Explorer to use auto-properties in the files under these nodes and their child items.

  6. Do one of the following:

    • Press Control+Alt+F or choose ReSharper | Edit | Cleanup Code... from the main menu .

    • Right-click anywhere in the text editor or right-click the selection and choose Cleanup Code in the context menu.

  7. In the Code Cleanup dialog that opens, select the newly created profile .

  8. Click Run. ReSharper will use auto-properties in the selected scope.

If you want to convert properties to auto-properties without opening the Code Cleanup dialog to choose a profile, you can bind the created profile to the silent cleanup and run it by pressing Control+Shift+Alt+F. You can also create a custom cleanup profile that would combine converting to auto-properties with other code style tasks.

You can convert properties to auto-properties every time you save changes in a file to make sure that your edits always comply with your code style.

Automatically convert properties to auto-properties on saving changes

  1. Select ReSharper | Options from the main menu or press Alt+R O.

  2. Go to the cleanup profiles settings page: Code Editing | Code Cleanup | Profiles.

  3. Select your custom Code Cleanup profile and click Set as default (the default profile is also used for silent cleanup).

  4. Go to the Code Editing | Code Cleanup | General options page and select Automatically run cleanup when saving a file.

    Optionally, you can restrict automatic cleanup to specific files by a file mask. You can also select Only changed parts of file to make sure that cleanup is applied to the code affected by your changes, and the rest of the code in the file is not modified.

  5. Click Save in the dialog to apply the modifications and let ReSharper choose where to save them, or save the modifications to a specific settings layer using the Save To list. For more information, see manage and share resharper settings.

  6. The next time you finish editing and save the file (Ctrl+S) or all files (Ctrl+Shift+S), ReSharper will clean up the affected files using the selected profile. If the default cleanup profile is not selected, ReSharper will prompt you choose one of the profiles.

This feature is supported in the following languages and technologies:

Language: C#

Language: VB.NET

Language: C++

Language: HTML

Language: ASP.NET

Language: Razor

Language: JavaScript

Language: TypeScript

Language: CSS

Language: XML

Language: XAML

Language: Resx

Language: Build Scripts

Language: Protobuf

Language: JSON

Feature is available in C#

Feature is not available in Visual Basic .NET

Feature is not available in C++

Feature is not available in HTML

Feature is not available in ASP.NET

Feature is not available in Razor

Feature is not available in JavaScript

Feature is not available in TypeScript

Feature is not available in CSS

Feature is not available in XML

Feature is not available in XAML

Feature is not available in Resource files

Feature is not available in build script files

Feature is not available in Protobuf

Feature is not available in JSON

Last modified: 07 April 2022