Dotnet Best Practices

.NET/C# Best Practices

Your task is to ensure .NET/C# code in ${selection} meets the SoloDevBoard standards for .NET 10 and C# 14.

Platform Baseline

• Target framework: .NET 10 (net10.0)
• Language version: C# 14
• Nullable reference types and implicit usings are enabled
• Architecture: clean/layered (Domain, Application, Infrastructure, Composition, App)

Documentation & Structure

• Create comprehensive XML documentation comments for all public classes, interfaces, methods, and properties
• Include parameter descriptions and return value descriptions in XML comments
• Follow repository namespace and folder structure conventions
• Use file-scoped namespaces

Design Patterns & Architecture

• Keep domain logic out of Razor components
• Use primary constructor syntax for dependency injection where it improves readability
• Use interface segregation with clear naming conventions (prefix interfaces with 'I')
• Respect dependency direction:
  • Domain has no external dependencies
  • Application depends on Domain only
  • Infrastructure depends on Application and Domain
  • Composition depends on Application and Infrastructure; exposes AddSoloDevBoard
  • App depends on Application and Composition only; must not reference Infrastructure

Dependency Injection & Services

• Use constructor dependency injection with null checks via ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(...)
• Register services with appropriate lifetimes (Singleton, Scoped, Transient)
• Use Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection patterns
• Implement service interfaces for testability

Async/Await Patterns

• Use async/await for all I/O operations and long-running tasks
• Return Task or Task from async methods
• Use ConfigureAwait(false) in reusable library code where appropriate
• Handle async exceptions properly

Testing Standards

• Use xUnit for tests
• Use NSubstitute for mocking dependencies
• Use xUnit v3's built-in Assert.* methods for all assertions. Do not add FluentAssertions, AwesomeAssertions, Shouldly, Moq, NUnit, or MSTest — see DEC-006 and DEC-016.
• Follow AAA pattern (Arrange, Act, Assert)
• Use test naming convention: MethodUnderTest_Scenario_ExpectedOutcome
• Test both success and failure scenarios
• Include null parameter validation tests

Configuration & Settings

• Use strongly-typed configuration classes with data annotations
• Implement validation attributes (Required, NotEmptyOrWhitespace)
• Use IConfiguration binding for settings
• Support appsettings.json configuration files

Error Handling & Logging

• Use structured logging with Microsoft.Extensions.Logging
• Include scoped logging with meaningful context
• Throw specific exceptions with descriptive messages
• Use try-catch blocks for expected failure scenarios

Performance & Security

• Use modern C# features that improve clarity without reducing maintainability
• Implement proper input validation and sanitisation
• Use parameterized queries for database operations
• Never introduce secrets or credentials into source-controlled files

Code Quality

• Ensure SOLID principles compliance
• Avoid code duplication (DRY): Before writing any helper, paging loop, error-handling utility, or serialisation logic, search the same assembly (and sibling assemblies at the same layer) for an existing method that already does it. Prefer promoting an existing private static to internal static over copy-pasting. New helpers are only justified when no equivalent exists.
• Use meaningful names that reflect domain concepts
• Keep methods focused and cohesive
• Implement proper disposal patterns for resources