C# How to set Property with two arguments

Question

I need to setup a Property with two arguments, for example, to append text in a log file. Example:

public string LogText(string text, bool Overwrite)
{
    get
    {
        return ProgramLogText;
    }
    set
    {
        ProgramLogText = value;
    }
}

How do I do this? (in the example above, I need to pass the text I want to be written in the file and 1 to overwrite (0 as default value for appending the text), else append to a text file, but when I get, I just need the text.)

Answer 1

You can extract class - implement your own class (struct) with Text and Overwrite properties and add some syntax sugar:

 public struct MyLogText {
   public MyLogText(string text, bool overwrite) {
     //TODO: you may want to validate the text
     Text = text;
     Overwrite = overwrite; 
   }

   public string Text {get;}  
   public bool Overwrite {get;}   

   // Let's add some syntax sugar: tuples
   public MyLogText((string, bool) tuple)
     : this(tuple.Item1, tuple.Item2) { }

   public void Deconstruct(out string text, out bool overwrite) {
     text = Text;
     overwrite = Overwrite;
   }

   public static implicit operator MyLogText((string, bool) tuple) => new MyLogText(tuple);

   //TODO: You may want to add ToString(), Equals, GetHashcode etc. methods
 }

And now you can put an easy syntax

public class MyClass {
  ...
  public MyLogText LogText {
    get;
    set;  
  }
  ...
}

And easy assignment (as if we have a property with 2 values):

MyClass demo = new MyClass();

// Set two values in one go
demo.LogText = ("some text", true);

// Get two values in one go 
(string text, bool overWrite) = demo.LogText;

Answer 2

You can't.

However, you have a few possible alternative approaches: create a method, or use a Tuple instead or create a class/struct and pass as a parameter (which has been answered by someone else).

Below are some alternative methods that can also be used instead.

Alternative Method 1

Create a Tuple, but then you'd have to return a tuple string, bool.

public Tuple<string, bool> LogText
{
    get; set;
}

I wouldn't do this method because then your getter would also return two values.

Alternative Method 2

Create getter and setter methods instead.

public string GetLogText() => ProgramLogText;
public void SetLogText(string text, bool overwrite) => ProgramLogText = text; // and implement in this method your use of overwrite.