What Does a T4/Code Generation Harness Need to do?

What’s Wrong with T4?

Leaning Into Windows — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:32:46 GMT

First, hugs and kisses to the people at Microsoft that made the decision to include T4 in Visual Studio

re: What Does a T4/Code Generation Harness Need to do?

Kathleen — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:50:37 GMT

The problems with a bullet list...

Multi-UI means really multi-front end. The work goes on in a class library that you can attach to a GUI,a command line runner (for builds), embed in something else, or if someone has the energy make a VS addon. I won't look at that until we get a stable 2010 CTP.

Template focused generation - talk to me about what you mean by multiple input models. This is a fully composable system, so the template only knows the interface for the metadata. You can create it anyway you want. But the template also produces (via code and accessing the interface or T4 directives) the output file name, the properties/parameters it needs, and the assmeblies it wants to reference. That's what I mean by template focused,although it may not be a good term. Is that what you want?

In myObject.Generate(... What type is MyObject?

My bits are so unstable and dynamic that I'm not crazy about sending them, but you can ping me vi aemail if you really want them. I did a lot of stabilization today so am much closer.

Kathleen

re: What Does a T4/Code Generation Harness Need to do?

Lars Corneliussen — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:31:36 GMT

Have you looked at MyMeta? It retrieves tons of metadata for tons of database vendors. Its part of MyGeneration and open source.

www.delarou.net/.../PermaLink,guid,fd29652d-0beb-4bca-bfab-f1ae85a98099.aspx

I worked with MyGeneration once and also used MyMeta. Was great!

micro codegen vs. nothing or all

Lars Corneliussen — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:28:52 GMT

Hi Eric,

theese two approaches are totally different. In one way, code-generation-nothing-or-all should be called compilation. That is what it is about.

Micro code generation is about design-time tools.

cheers,

Lars

re: What Does a T4/Code Generation Harness Need to do?

Lars Corneliussen — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:25:53 GMT

Hi Kathleen,

i finally got some minutes to discuss T4 Code Gen here. Just downloaded your T4-Host. Great stuff. Thats what people need. string in, string out. As with xsl :-)

What does Multi-UI mean?

I see an issue with "Template focused generation". Sure templates know stuff. But often you've got several input models that want to be rendered with the same template. Would the template discover the inputs?

How does the multi-file-generation work? Calls within the templates?

One place where code generation is used ALL THE TIME is, when generating web pages. I think the way they handle URLs and links (same as file- and classnames, right?) could give some nice hints.

[Firefox crashed here, but recovered my text. puhh]

Another issue i have been thinking of is using extension methods for generating code for specific metadata.

myObject.Generate("mytemplate.t4");

With C#4 even myObject.GenerateMyTemplate() :-) This would let you organize your templates in a kind-of object-oriented way.

Polimorphic Templates: Sorry. Just hacking down lots of ideas ;-) A template mytemplate.t4 for any object could be overriden by MyMetaDataTypeName.mytemplate.t4. myObject.Generate("mytemplate.t4") would still just figure it out.

I gotta stop :-)

Is there a chance to get the bits prior to your release?

I couldn't find a GenDotNet CTP anyware. Is this the same as the T4Host on AppVenture? Ore am I just to confused?

re: What Does a T4/Code Generation Harness Need to do?

Eric Hexter — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:44:04 GMT

I would like to see a meta data service that can run against the code files.ie EnvDTE.CodeType arguments from within Visual Studio.

I would also like to see support from micro code generation. Like smaller design time generation rather than a huge build time generate all or nothing process.