Code Generation using T4

Code Generation using T4
Joubin Najmaie
Software Architect @ Softchoice
Twitter: @joubin
Personal blog: http://joubin.ca
http://www.softchoice.com

T4 - Agenda
The “suit” story
Demo
T4 Overview
T4 Syntax
Demo
More demos

A “suit” calls a meeting
Empower the business users
Give control over their content

Run back to your desk

Site Content analysis

Architecting a solution
Define content type descriptions etc.

You start coding away

Soon you’ll realize …
Every time you add a content type
Data Access Layer code

Introducing T4

What T4 is not?

What is T4?
T4 is a vehicle
Generates code from described models
Models could be
Visual
Class diagrams
ERDs
Text-based
XSD
Database
Metadata

What is T4? (cont.)
A set of tools to build other tools
Describe
Domain Model
User interface
Business process
Flow
Generate code from model
Use T4 to generate code

T4 - the what
What does it stand for?
What are the Inputs?
What are the outputs?
What does the syntax look like?
What are the supported languages?

Current usages of T4 in VS.NET
ASP.NET MVC Views
Entity Framework 4 model generation
VS Project templates
VS Item templates
Web forms
Class

T4 - Syntax
A quick overview of T4 syntax
Lots of demos

Anatomy of T4 templates

Text Templating
Write a text template
T4 engine generates a compiled intermediary class
T4 engine executes the compiled class to generate output

Text Templating

Processing Directives
Similar to ASPX and ASCX
<#@ and end with #>
Directives
template
assembly
import
output
include

template directive
<#@ template debug="true" language="C#" #>
Parameters
debug
language
inherits
hostspecific

template directive parameters
debug parameter
System %TEMP% folder
language parameter
Values: C#, VB, C#3.5
inherits parameter
Tells which base class to use
hostspecific parameter
A reference to the object that the hosts the engine.
e.g. Host.TemplateFile
Host.StandardAssemblyReferences

assembly directive
<#@ assembly #>
Parameter
name
could be an assembly in the GAC
<#@ assembly name=“System.Data” #>
or absolute path to the assembly
<#@ assembly name=“c:projectsproj1indebugproj1.dll” #>

import directive
<#@ import #>
Parameter
namespace
<#@ import namespace=“System.Collections.Generic” #>

include directive
<#@ include #>
Parameter
file
<#@ include file=“includefile.tt” #>

T4 Blocks
Text blocks
Code blocks
Statement blocks
Expression blocks
Class feature blocks

Text blocks
Non-programmatic text

Text blocks - Syntax

Statement blocks
Delineated using
<# #>

Statement blocks - Syntax

Expression blocks
Delineated using
<#= #>

Expression blocks - Syntax

Class feature blocks
<#+ #>
Used to add any class level construct
Helper functions
Fields
Constants
Properties

Class feature blocks - Syntax

Custom Text Template Host
When would you write one?
Want to run T4 templates outside of VS.NET
Integrate functionality into custom tools

Code generation

VS.NET Item template
Single file versus multi-file templates
As .vsi/.zip
VS 2010
/{vs.net folder}/common7/ide/itemtemplates
Template parameters are special params
When the template wizard runs they are replaced.

Parameters

Multi-file item template

T4 editors in VS.NET
Plug-in by Tangible Engineering *
http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/60297607-5fd4-4da4-97e1-3715e90c1a23
T4 Editor by Clarius
http://www.visualt4.com/downloads.html

Slides will be on blog
http://joubin.ca
CodePlex project
http://codekindler.codeplex.com
Provides boilerplate classes using T4
Only a few at the moment
Thank You!

Thanks to our contributors

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Code Generation using T4

by Joubin Najmaie on May 01, 2010

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Code Generation using T4 — Presentation Transcript