C# Custom class collection confusion

The following is my custom class, with collections. My application is an MDI app with the ability to open a "Program" form multiple times for multiple programs and I want to use the ProgramBudget class but I want all of the "subclasses" within the Program budget to be contained within the Program form ProgramBudget class.

I am having issues however where the subclasses keep getting referenced in IntelliSense recursivelly (i.e.: ProgramBudget.ParticipantTypeBudget.ParticipantTypeBudget.ParticipantTypeBudget...)

What is wrong with this class and how do i work with it, the custom class is below:

using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace IPAM_NSF_Financials.Application_Classes
{
    public class ProgramBudget
    {
        internal string strProgramCode;
        private string strActualTravelSourceRefCode;
        private string strActualExpenseSourceRefCode;
        private string strProgramBudgetComment;
        private string strParticipantComment;
        private decimal decInitTravel;
        private decimal decInitLodging;
        private decimal decInitStipend;
        private decimal decRemTravel;
        private decimal decRemLodging;
        private decimal decRemStipend;
        private decimal decPartTypeTravel;
        private decimal decPartTypeExpenses;
        private decimal decPartPrimTravelBudget;
        private decimal decPartPrimExpenseBudget;
        private decimal decPartPrimRegFee;
        private decimal decActualTravelAir;
        private decimal decActualTravelGround;
        private decimal decActualTravelMisc;
        private decimal decActualExpenseLodging;
        private decimal decActualExpenseCatering;
        private decimal decActualExpenseMisc;
        private int nProgramBudgetID;
        private int nParticipantTypeBudgetID;
        private int nParticipantBudgetHDRID;
        private int nParticipantBudgetHDRCommentID;
        private int nParticipantBudgetDTLID;
        private int nParticipantBudgetDTLExpenseID;
        private int nParticipantBudgetDTLTravelID;
        private int nPartType;
        private int nParticipant;
        private int nActualTravelSource;
        private int nActualExpenseSource;

        public int ProgramBudgetID
        {
            get { return nProgramBudgetID; }
            set { nProgramBudgetID = value; }
        }

        public string ProgramCode
        {
            get { return strProgramCode; }
            set { strProgramCode = value; }
        }

        public decimal InitialTravel
        {
            get { return decInitTravel; }
            set { decInitTravel = value; }
        }

        public decimal InitialLodging
        {
            get { return decInitLodging; }
            set { decInitLodging = value; }
        }

        public decimal InitialStipend
        {
            get { return decInitStipend; }
            set { decInitStipend = value; }
        }

        public decimal RemainingTravel
        {
            get { return decRemTravel; }
            set { decRemTravel = value; }
        }

        public decimal RemainingLodging
        {
            get { return decRemLodging; }
            set { decRemLodging = value; }
        }

        public decimal RemainingStipend
        {
            get { return decRemStipend; }
            set { decRemStipend = value; }
        }

        public string ProgramBudgetComment
        {
            get { return strProgramBudgetComment; }
            set { strProgramBudgetComment = value; }
        }

        public class ParticipantTypeBudget : ProgramBudget
        {
            public int ParticipantTypeBudgetID
            {
                get { return nParticipantTypeBudgetID; }
                set { nParticipantTypeBudgetID = value; }
            }

            public int ParticipantType
            {
                get { return nPartType; }
                set { nPartType = value; }
            }

            public decimal ParticipantTypeTravel
            {
                get { return decPartTypeTravel; }
                set { decPartTypeTravel = value; }
            }

            public decimal ParticipantTypeExpenses
            {
                get { return decPartTypeExpenses; }
                set { decPartTypeExpenses = value; }
            }
        }

        class ParticipantTypeBudgets : CollectionBase
        {
            public void Add(ParticipantTypeBudget partTypeBudgetObject)
            { InnerList.Add(partTypeBudgetObject); }

            public void Remove(int Index)
            { InnerList.RemoveAt(Index); }

            public ParticipantTypeBudget Item(int Index)
            { return (ParticipantTypeBudget)InnerList[Index]; }
        }

        public class ParticipantPrimaryBudget : ProgramBudget
        {
            public int ParticipantBudgetHDRID
            {
                get { return nParticipantBudgetHDRID; }
                set { nParticipantBudgetHDRID = value; }
            }

            public int ParticipantID
            {
                get { return nParticipant; }
                set { nParticipant = value; }
            }

            public string ParticipantBudgetComment
            {
                get { return strParticipantComment; }
                set { strParticipantComment = value; }
            }

            public decimal ParticipantPrimaryTravelBudget
            {
                get { return decPartPrimTravelBudget; }
                set { decPartPrimTravelBudget = value; }
            }

            public decimal ParticipantPrimaryExpenseBudget
            {
                get { return decPartPrimExpenseBudget; }
                set { decPartPrimExpenseBudget = value; }
            }

            public decimal ParticipantPrimaryRegFee
            {
                get { return decPartPrimRegFee; }
                set { decPartPrimRegFee = value; }
            }
        }

        public class ParticipantActualTravelBudget : ProgramBudget
        {
            public int ParticipantBudgetDTLID
            {
                get { return nParticipantBudgetDTLID; }
                set { nParticipantBudgetDTLID = value; }
            }

            public int ParticipantBudgetDTLTravelID
            {
                get { return nParticipantBudgetDTLTravelID; }
                set { nParticipantBudgetDTLTravelID = value; }
            }

            public int FundingSource
            {
                get { return nActualTravelSource; }
                set { nActualTravelSource = value; }
            }

            public string ReferenceCode
            {
                get { return strActualTravelSourceRefCode; }
                set { strActualTravelSourceRefCode = value; }
            }

            public decimal Air
            {
                get { return decActualTravelAir; }
                set { decActualTravelAir = value; }
            }

            public decimal Ground
            {
                get { return decActualTravelGround; }
                set { decActualTravelGround = value; }
            }

            public decimal Miscellaneous
            {
                get { return decActualTravelMisc; }
                set { decActualTravelMisc = value; }
            }
        }

        class ParticipantActualTravelBudgets : CollectionBase
        {
            public void Add(ParticipantActualTravelBudget partActTravelBudgetObject)
            { InnerList.Add(partActTravelBudgetObject); }

            public void RemoveAt(int Index)
            { InnerList.RemoveAt(Index); }

            public ParticipantActualTravelBudget Item(int Index)
            { return (ParticipantActualTravelBudget)InnerList[Index]; }
        }

        public class ParticipantActualExpensesBudget : ProgramBudget
        {
            public int ParticipantBudgetDTLID
            {
                get { return nParticipantBudgetDTLID; }
                set { nParticipantBudgetDTLID = value; }
            }

            public int ParticipantBudgetDTLExpenseID
            {
                get { return nParticipantBudgetDTLExpenseID; }
                set { nParticipantBudgetDTLExpenseID = value; }
            }

            public int FundingSource
            {
                get { return nActualExpenseSource; }
                set { nActualExpenseSource = value; }
            }

            public string ReferenceCode
            {
                get { return strActualExpe开发者_开发百科nseSourceRefCode; }
                set { strActualExpenseSourceRefCode = value; }
            }

            public decimal Lodging
            {
                get { return decActualExpenseLodging; }
                set { decActualExpenseLodging = value; }
            }

            public decimal Catering
            {
                get { return decActualExpenseCatering; }
                set { decActualExpenseCatering = value; }
            }

            public decimal Miscellaneous
            {
                get { return decActualExpenseMisc; }
                set { decActualExpenseMisc = value; }
            }
        }

        class ParticipantActualExpenseBudgets : CollectionBase
        {
            public void Add(ParticipantActualExpensesBudget partActExpensesBudgetObject)
            { InnerList.Add(partActExpensesBudgetObject); }

            public void RemoveAt(int Index)
            { InnerList.RemoveAt(Index); }

            public ParticipantActualExpensesBudget Item(int Index)
            { return (ParticipantActualExpensesBudget)InnerList[Index]; }
        }
    }
}

ParticipantTypeBudget is a member of ProgramBudget. ParticipantTypeBudget also inherits ProgramBudget, which means it gets all of ProgramBudget's non-private members.

See the problem?

class Foo {
    class Bar : Foo {

    }
}

//perfectly legal:
Foo.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar = new Foo.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar.Bar();

To get rid of this recursion, move ParticipantTypeBudget, etc out of ProgramBudget.

EDIT: Also, you asked about auto properties. Those are properties that don't have explicit backing fields. I use two patterns:

For a read/write property, you do this:

public int MyProperty {
    get;
    set;
}

Note that both get and set must not have a body.

If you need a read-only property, i.e. one that can only be set by the object itself, make the set member protected:

public int MyProperty {
    get;
    protected set;
}

Since ParticipantTypeBudget is a subclass of ProgramBudget, it inherits all ProgramBudget's members, including all nested classes - hence, including itself.

The real question is, however: why exactly do you want them all to be nested classes? What benefit does that give you?

Your derived types are children of their base type thus creating an infinitely recursive parent-child relationship. Move the derived child classes into their own independent class in order to eliminate the infinite nesting.

I apologize everyone for wasting your time everyone. I have been sick and I wasnt thinking clearly when I created this class. I completely understand the recurvsive thing now, a nd I should have created custom classes for each of the sub classes outside of the ProgramBudget class and created a property within the ProgramBudget for each of the sub classes. I am going to look at the auto properties and utilize that concept as well.