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C# Feature � Lazy properties

Overview

Lazy properties defer work until a value is first requested. Implement with a private backing field and the null-coalescing assignment operator (??=).

Example

public class Person
{
    private string? _name;
    public string Name => _name ??= LoadName();

    private string LoadName()
    {
        // Simulate an expensive operation (I/O, computation, etc.)
        return "Lazy Loaded Name";
    }
}

Notes

Thread-safety: wrap initialization in Lazy<T> or a lock if multiple threads may read the property.
Persistence: cache invalidation can be modeled by resetting the backing field to null.

See also