Codemash: T4 Code Generation with Visual Studio 2008

Presented by Steve Andrews.

• What is it?
• Was originally a DSL for creating code based on your model.
• Demo
• Need a template directive
  <#@ template language=”C#v3.5” #>
• Output directive
  <#@ output extension=”csv” #>
  one,two,thee
  four,five,six
• Expression blocks
  <#= DateTime.Now.ToString() #>
• Statement blocks
  <# for (int i = 1; i < 6; i++) { #>
  <# } #>
• Class feature blocks
  <# HelloWorld(); #>
  <#+
  private void HelloWorld()
  {
  }
  #>
• Include directive
  <#@ include file=”_IncludedFile.tt” #>
  
  remove the custom tool for the included file if you don’t want it to run.
• Assembly include directive
  <#@ assembly name=”System.Xml” #>
  <#= new System.Xml.XmlDocument().ToString() #>
• Import directive
  <#@ assembly name=”System.Xml” #>
  <#@ import namespace=”System.Xml” #>
  <#= new XmlDocument().ToString() #>
• T4 Toolbox
• Can generate multiple outputs per template
• Since the generator has to create a file by default with the same name, use it as a log of the output.
• Can create classes within the template that can extend Generator
• Can extend templates as well.
• Custom Directive Processor
• Need to put create some registry keys for the custom directives
• Custom host for running T4.
• Debugging T4
• Registry setting that you have to change from 10 to 2 if using above .NET 3.0

Have to say that I thought I knew quite a bit about T4, but really a great presentation overall.