Using Properties and Private Variables

[Mugs321]

Hey all,

A colleague and I are in the middle of a debate and I was wondering if anyone could shed some light:

Question:
For the code in a class, should you reference a local (private) variable itself or the property that gets/sets it?

My arguement:
There is less overhead involved if you just reference the local var. As such, you should only reference the property when any logic/calculations are required to produce the proper value.

His arguement:
The compiler is smart enough to know that the property is the exact same as the local variable (calculations and such not withstanding), thus, there is no extra overhead when running the app. Always using the Property instead of the local var itself also adds consistency to the code.

[r035198x]

Code is not static. What if you decide to change the way that value is returned from the getter? You'd then have to change all the places that you were accessing it directly.

[Curtis Rutland]

If you are using properties, you should always reference through the properties. Consistency and for the simple fact of having a single point of change.

As to overhead, one more instruction is not very much overhead, something that you will never notice in any program you will write.