Can most sliding glass doors be modified to lock from the outside?

This is I think a very typical sliding door onto a patio, in a nice contemporary style building from the 80s – I don’t know exactly what kind of sliding door because I haven’t seen it in person yet. I’m just trying to figure out whether I can assume I’ll be able to install a lock that makes it possible to use this sliding door as a normal exit/entrance – that is, lock it behind me as I go.