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Source Generators

Use ToonNet source generators for compile-time performance optimization.

Overview​

ToonNet.SourceGenerators generates serialization code at compile-time using Roslyn source generators, eliminating runtime reflection overhead.

Installation​

dotnet add package ToonNet.SourceGenerators

Usage​

Mark Classes with Attributes​

using ToonNet.Core.Attributes;

[ToonSerializable]
public partial class Person
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
    public string Email { get; set; }
}

Generated Code​

The source generator creates optimized serialization methods:

// Generated code (simplified)
partial class Person
{
    public static ToonValue ToToon(Person instance)
    {
        return new ToonObject
        {
            ["Name"] = instance.Name,
            ["Age"] = instance.Age,
            ["Email"] = instance.Email
        };
    }
    
    public static Person FromToon(ToonValue value)
    {
        var obj = (ToonObject)value;
        return new Person
        {
            Name = (string)obj["Name"],
            Age = (int)obj["Age"],
            Email = (string)obj["Email"]
        };
    }
}

Benefits​

  1. Zero Runtime Reflection: Code generated at compile-time
  2. Type Safety: Compile-time type checking
  3. Performance: 10-100x faster than reflection-based serialization
  4. Debugging: View generated code in IDE
  5. Trimming-Friendly: Works with IL trimming/AOT

Attributes​

ToonSerializable​

Mark classes for source generation:

[ToonSerializable]
public partial class User { }

ToonIgnore​

Exclude properties from serialization:

[ToonSerializable]
public partial class User
{
    public string Username { get; set; }
    
    [ToonIgnore]
    public string PasswordHash { get; set; }  // Not serialized
}

ToonPropertyName​

Customize serialized property name:

[ToonSerializable]
public partial class Person
{
    [ToonPropertyName("full_name")]
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

Viewing Generated Code​

In Visual Studio/Rider:

  1. Build project
  2. Navigate to Dependencies → Analyzers → ToonNet.SourceGenerators
  3. View generated files

Or use EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles:

<PropertyGroup>
    <EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles>true</EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles>
</PropertyGroup>

Generated files will be in obj/generated/.

Limitations​

  • Classes must be partial
  • Only public properties are serialized
  • Requires .NET 8+ and C# 12+

See Also​