Text Template Transformation Toolkit

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

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

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

4. Run back to your desk

5. Site Content analysis

6. Architecting a solution Define content type descriptions etc.

7. You start coding away

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

9. Introducing T4

10. What T4 is not?

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

12. 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

13. 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?

14. 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

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

16. Anatomy of T4 templates

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

18. Text Templating

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

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

21. 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

22. 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:rojectsroj1inebugroj1.dll” #>

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

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

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

26. Text blocks Non-programmatic text

27. Text blocks - Syntax

28. Statement blocks Delineated using <# #>

29. Statement blocks - Syntax

30. Expression blocks Delineated using <#= #>

31. Expression blocks - Syntax

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

33. Class feature blocks - Syntax

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

35. Code generation

36. 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.

37. Parameters

38. Multi-file item template

39. 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

40. 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!

41. Thanks to our contributors