A property cannot be used in the same way as a variable, like a field can.
A field is a variable that is defined within a class and it denotes an actual storage location. Because it refers to a storage location, you can pass a field by reference, using a ref or out keyword on the argument.
If Name is a public field of a Dog class, you can do this:
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| static void Main(string[] args){ Dog d = new Dog("Bob"); MakeNoble(ref d.Name);}private static void MakeNoble(ref string name){ name = "Sir " + name;} |
A property, on the other hand, is not a variable and its name does not refer directly to a storage location. So you can’t pass a property as a ref or out argument to a method.
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| Dog d = new Dog("Bob");d.Age = 5;AgeMe(ref d.Age); // Compile-time Error |