When should you use a field rather than a property?

Question

Can anyone clearly articulate when you use a field and when to use a property in class design?

Consider:

public string Name;

Or:

Answer 1

Properties are more maintainable than fields, you can encapsulate logic in your setters/getters, allowing you to hide the implementation.

They also make refactoring easier.

More information:

• Property Usage Guidelines
• Field Usage Guidelines