Book Image

Metaprogramming in C#

By : Einar Ingebrigtsen
Book Image

Metaprogramming in C#

By: Einar Ingebrigtsen

Overview of this book

Metaprogramming is an advanced technique that helps developers to automate repetitive tasks, generate scalable code, and enhance productivity in software development. Metaprogramming in C# is a comprehensive guide that will help you reap the full potential of metaprogramming in .NET runtime. You’ll start by learning about the .NET runtime environment and how you can use it to become a more productive developer. You'll learn how to infer types using reflection, use attributes, and create dynamic proxies. You’ll also explore the use of expressions to create and execute code and how to take advantage of Dynamic Language Runtime. But that's not all! You’ll also learn to go beyond inheritance and use method signature conventions to create easily maintainable code. Finally, you’ll dive into the world of compiler magic with Roslyn, where you'll discover how to use Roslyn to generate code, perform static code analysis, and write your own compiler extensions. By the end of this book, you’ll have a deep understanding of metaprogramming concepts and how to apply them to your C# code. You’ll be able to think about types, use attributes and expressions to generate code, and apply crosscutting concerns to improve code quality.
Table of Contents (25 chapters)
1
Part 1:Why Metaprogramming?
5
Part 2:Leveraging the Runtime
12
Part 3:Increasing Productivity, Consistency, and Quality
18
Part 4:Compiler Magic Using Roslyn

How to set up a project and its moving parts

The C# compiler, powered by the Roslyn framework (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/roslyn-sdk/), provides a mechanism to load and use custom extensions in the form of analyzer and code fix providers. These extensions can be packaged as NuGet packages or included as project references, and they are loaded into the compilation process to analyze or modify the source code being compiled.

When the C# compiler encounters a project that includes a reference to a Roslyn extension, it uses .NET’s AssemblyLoadContext to load the extension’s assembly into the compilation process. This allows the extension’s code to be executed during the compilation process and participate in the analysis and transformation of the source code.

The Roslyn extensions are loaded into the compiler as analyzers, or source generators. Analyzers are responsible for examining the source code and reporting diagnostics, which are warnings...