rudironsoni dotnet-csharp-source-generators
Guidance for both creating and consuming Roslyn source generators in .NET. Creating: IIncrementalGenerator,
syntax providers, semantic analysis, emit patterns, diagnostic reporting, testing with CSharpGeneratorDriver.
Consuming: [GeneratedRegex], [LoggerMessage], System.Text.Json source generation, [JsonSerializable].
Scope
- IIncrementalGenerator authoring and syntax providers
- Consuming built-in generators (GeneratedRegex, LoggerMessage, STJ)
- Diagnostic reporting and testing with CSharpGeneratorDriver
- NuGet packaging for analyzer/generator assemblies
Out of scope
- Roslyn analyzers and code fix providers -- see [skill:dotnet-roslyn-analyzers]
- Modern C# language features -- see [skill:dotnet-csharp-modern-patterns]
- Naming conventions -- see [skill:dotnet-csharp-coding-standards]
Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-csharp-modern-patterns] for partial properties and related C# features, [skill:dotnet-csharp-coding-standards] for naming conventions.
Creating Source Generators
Project Setup
Source generators are shipped as analyzers targeting netstandard2.0.
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
<PropertyGroup>
<TargetFramework>netstandard2.0</TargetFramework>
<EnforceExtendedAnalyzerRules>true</EnforceExtendedAnalyzerRules>
<IsRoslynComponent>true</IsRoslynComponent>
<LangVersion>latest</LangVersion>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.Analyzers" Version="3.3.4" PrivateAssets="all" />
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp" Version="4.12.0" PrivateAssets="all" />
</ItemGroup>
</Project>
```csharp
> **Always target `netstandard2.0`.** Generators load into the compiler process, which requires this TFM for
> compatibility. Use `LangVersion>latest` to write modern C# in the generator itself.
### `IIncrementalGenerator` (Preferred)
Always use `IIncrementalGenerator` over the legacy `ISourceGenerator`. Incremental generators are cache-aware and only
re-run when inputs change, making them significantly faster in IDE scenarios.
```csharp
[Generator]
public sealed class AutoNotifyGenerator : IIncrementalGenerator
{
public void Initialize(IncrementalGeneratorInitializationContext context)
{
// Step 1: Filter syntax nodes to candidate fields
var fieldDeclarations = context.SyntaxProvider
.ForAttributeWithMetadataName(
"MyLib.AutoNotifyAttribute",
predicate: static (node, _) => node is FieldDeclarationSyntax,
transform: static (ctx, _) => GetFieldInfo(ctx))
.Where(static info => info is not null)
.Select(static (info, _) => info!.Value);
// Step 2: Group fields by containing type, then emit one file per type
context.RegisterSourceOutput(fieldDeclarations.Collect(),
static (spc, fields) => Execute(fields, spc));
}
private static FieldInfo? GetFieldInfo(
GeneratorAttributeSyntaxContext context)
{
var fieldSymbol = context.TargetSymbol as IFieldSymbol;
if (fieldSymbol is null)
return null;
var containingType = fieldSymbol.ContainingType;
// Use fully qualified type name to handle generic and nested types
var fullTypeName = containingType.ToDisplayString(
SymbolDisplayFormat.FullyQualifiedFormat
.WithGlobalNamespaceStyle(SymbolDisplayGlobalNamespaceStyle.Omitted));
return new FieldInfo(
fieldSymbol.ContainingNamespace.IsGlobalNamespace
? ""
: fieldSymbol.ContainingNamespace.ToDisplayString(),
containingType.Name,
fullTypeName,
fieldSymbol.Name,
fieldSymbol.Type.ToDisplayString());
}
private static void Execute(
ImmutableArray<FieldInfo> fields,
SourceProductionContext context)
{
// Group by fully qualified type name to emit one file per class
foreach (var group in fields.GroupBy(f => f.FullTypeName))
{
var first = group.First();
var ns = first.Namespace;
var className = first.ClassName;
var properties = new StringBuilder();
foreach (var field in group)
{
var propertyName = GetPropertyName(field.FieldName);
properties.AppendLine($$"""
public {{field.FieldType}} {{propertyName}}
{
get => {{field.FieldName}};
set
{
if (!global::System.Collections.Generic.EqualityComparer<{{field.FieldType}}>.Default.Equals({{field.FieldName}}, value))
{
{{field.FieldName}} = value;
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this,
new global::System.ComponentModel.PropertyChangedEventArgs(nameof({{propertyName}})));
}
}
}
""");
}
// Handle global namespace (no namespace declaration)
var nsBlock = string.IsNullOrEmpty(ns) ? "" : $"namespace {ns};\n\n";
var source = $$"""
// <auto-generated/>
#nullable enable
{{nsBlock}}partial class {{className}}
: global::System.ComponentModel.INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event global::System.ComponentModel.PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged;
{{properties}}
}
""";
// Include namespace in hint name to avoid collisions across namespaces
var hintPrefix = string.IsNullOrEmpty(ns) ? className : $"{ns}.{className}";
context.AddSource($"{hintPrefix}.AutoNotify.g.cs", source);
}
}
private static string GetPropertyName(string fieldName)
=> fieldName.TrimStart('_') is [var first, .. var rest]
? $"{char.ToUpperInvariant(first)}{rest}"
: fieldName;
}
internal readonly record struct FieldInfo(
string Namespace,
string ClassName,
string FullTypeName,
string FieldName,
string FieldType);
```text
> **Scope note:** This example targets top-level, non-generic classes for clarity. A production generator should also
> handle generic type parameters (emitting matching `partial class Foo<T>` declarations) and nested types (emitting
> nested partial class hierarchies). Report a diagnostic for unsupported shapes rather than emitting invalid code.
### Key Pipeline Design Rules
1. **Filter early** -- Use `ForAttributeWithMetadataName` or `CreateSyntaxProvider` with a tight predicate to minimize
work.
2. **Transform to simple data** -- Extract only the data you need (strings, records) in the transform step. Never pass
`ISymbol` or `SyntaxNode` through the pipeline (they hold the compilation alive and break caching).
3. **Use value equality** -- Pipeline outputs are compared by value. Use `record struct` or implement `IEquatable<T>`
for custom types.
4. **Emit deterministic output** -- Same inputs must produce identical source. Use `// <auto-generated/>` and
`#nullable enable` headers.
### Syntax Providers
```csharp
// ForAttributeWithMetadataName -- most common, filters by attribute
var candidates = context.SyntaxProvider.ForAttributeWithMetadataName(
"MyLib.GenerateMapperAttribute",
predicate: static (node, _) => node is ClassDeclarationSyntax,
transform: static (ctx, _) => /* extract info */);
// CreateSyntaxProvider -- general-purpose, any syntax predicate
var candidates = context.SyntaxProvider.CreateSyntaxProvider(
predicate: static (node, _) => node is MethodDeclarationSyntax m
&& m.Modifiers.Any(SyntaxKind.PartialKeyword),
transform: static (ctx, _) => /* extract info */);
```text
### Diagnostic Reporting
Report errors and warnings through `SourceProductionContext` rather than throwing exceptions. To report
location-specific diagnostics, include a `Location` in your pipeline data (captured from the syntax node in the
transform step).
```csharp
private static readonly DiagnosticDescriptor InvalidFieldType = new(
id: "AN001",
title: "Invalid field type for AutoNotify",
messageFormat: "Field '{0}' must be a non-pointer type",
category: "AutoNotify",
defaultSeverity: DiagnosticSeverity.Error,
isEnabledByDefault: true);
// In the transform step, capture location:
var location = context.TargetNode.GetLocation();
// In the Execute method, report with location:
context.ReportDiagnostic(Diagnostic.Create(
InvalidFieldType,
location, // captured from syntax node, not from projected data
fieldName));
```text
> **Note:** `Location` is not value-equatable, so including it in your pipeline record breaks incremental caching. A
> common pattern is to carry it as a separate field that you exclude from equality, or report diagnostics in a
> `CreateSyntaxProvider` step before projecting to value types.
### Emit Patterns
```csharp
// Prefer raw string literals for templates (C# 11+, in the generator project)
var source = $$"""
// <auto-generated/>
#nullable enable
namespace {{ns}};
partial class {{className}}
{
{{generatedMembers}}
}
""";
context.AddSource($"{className}.g.cs", source);
```csharp
**File naming convention:** `{TypeName}.{Feature}.g.cs` -- the `.g.cs` suffix signals generated code and is excluded by
many linters.
### Post-Init Output (Static Source)
Use `RegisterPostInitializationOutput` for marker attributes and helper types that do not depend on user code:
```csharp
context.RegisterPostInitializationOutput(static ctx =>
{
ctx.AddSource("AutoNotifyAttribute.g.cs", """
// <auto-generated/>
namespace MyLib;
[System.AttributeUsage(System.AttributeTargets.Field)]
internal sealed class AutoNotifyAttribute : System.Attribute { }
""");
});
```text
---
## Testing Source Generators
Use `CSharpGeneratorDriver` to run generators in-memory and verify output.
```csharp
using Microsoft.CodeAnalysis;
using Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp;
[Fact]
public void Generator_ProducesExpectedOutput()
{
// Arrange
var source = """
using MyLib;
namespace TestApp;
public partial class ViewModel
{
[AutoNotify]
private string _name = "";
}
""";
var syntaxTree = CSharpSyntaxTree.ParseText(source);
var references = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies()
.Where(a => !a.IsDynamic && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(a.Location))
.Select(a => MetadataReference.CreateFromFile(a.Location))
.Cast<MetadataReference>()
.ToList();
var compilation = CSharpCompilation.Create("TestAssembly",
[syntaxTree],
references,
new CSharpCompilationOptions(OutputKind.DynamicallyLinkedLibrary));
var generator = new AutoNotifyGenerator();
// Act
GeneratorDriver driver = CSharpGeneratorDriver.Create(generator);
driver = driver.RunGeneratorsAndUpdateCompilation(
compilation, out var outputCompilation, out var diagnostics);
// Assert
Assert.Empty(diagnostics.Where(d => d.Severity == DiagnosticSeverity.Error));
var runResult = driver.GetRunResult();
Assert.Single(runResult.GeneratedTrees);
var generatedSource = runResult.GeneratedTrees[0].GetText().ToString();
Assert.Contains("public string Name", generatedSource);
}
```text
### Snapshot Testing (Verify)
For more robust testing, use the [Verify.SourceGenerators](https://github.com/VerifyTests/Verify.SourceGenerators)
package to snapshot-test generated output:
```csharp
[Fact]
public Task Generator_SnapshotTest()
{
var source = """
using MyLib;
namespace TestApp;
public partial class ViewModel
{
[AutoNotify]
private string _name = "";
}
""";
return TestHelper.Verify(source);
}
```text
---
## Consuming Built-In Source Generators
### `[GeneratedRegex]` (net7.0+)
Compile-time regex generation. Zero runtime compilation cost, AOT-compatible.
```csharp
public partial class Validators
{
[GeneratedRegex(@"^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$",
RegexOptions.Compiled | RegexOptions.IgnoreCase)]
private static partial Regex EmailRegex();
public static bool IsValidEmail(string email)
=> EmailRegex().IsMatch(email);
}
```text
**Key rules:**
- Method must be `static partial` returning `Regex`
- Place on `partial class` (or `partial struct`)
- Replaces `new Regex(...)` with zero allocation at runtime
- Supports all `RegexOptions` except `RegexOptions.Compiled` (which is ignored -- the source generator replaces it)
### `[LoggerMessage]` (net6.0+)
High-performance structured logging with zero-allocation at log-disabled levels.
```csharp
public static partial class LogMessages
{
[LoggerMessage(Level = LogLevel.Information,
Message = "Processing order {OrderId} for customer {CustomerId}")]
public static partial void OrderProcessing(
this ILogger logger, int orderId, string customerId);
[LoggerMessage(Level = LogLevel.Error,
Message = "Failed to process order {OrderId}")]
public static partial void OrderProcessingFailed(
this ILogger logger, int orderId, Exception exception);
}
// Usage
logger.OrderProcessing(order.Id, order.CustomerId);
```text
**Key rules:**
- Methods must be `static partial` in a `partial class`
- Parameters matching `{Placeholder}` in the message are logged as structured data
- `Exception` parameter is logged automatically (do not include in message template)
- Event IDs are auto-assigned if not specified; specify explicit IDs for stable telemetry
### System.Text.Json Source Generation (net6.0+)
AOT-compatible JSON serialization. Eliminates runtime reflection.
```csharp
[JsonSerializable(typeof(Order))]
[JsonSerializable(typeof(List<Order>))]
[JsonSerializable(typeof(Customer))]
[JsonSourceGenerationOptions(
PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonKnownNamingPolicy.CamelCase,
DefaultIgnoreCondition = JsonIgnoreCondition.WhenWritingNull)]
public partial class AppJsonContext : JsonSerializerContext;
```json
#### Registration in ASP.NET Core
```csharp
builder.Services.ConfigureHttpJsonOptions(options =>
{
options.SerializerOptions.TypeInfoResolverChain.Insert(0, AppJsonContext.Default);
});
// Or for Minimal APIs
app.MapGet("/orders/{id}", async (int id, IOrderService service) =>
{
var order = await service.GetByIdAsync(id);
return order is not null
? Results.Ok(order)
: Results.NotFound();
});
```text
#### Manual Serialization
```csharp
// Serialize
var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(order, AppJsonContext.Default.Order);
// Deserialize
var order = JsonSerializer.Deserialize(json, AppJsonContext.Default.Order);
// With stream
await JsonSerializer.SerializeAsync(stream, orders,
AppJsonContext.Default.ListOrder);
```json
**Key rules:**
- Register all types that need serialization in `[JsonSerializable]` attributes
- Use `TypeInfoResolverChain` (net8.0+) to combine multiple contexts
- Required for Native AOT -- reflection-based serialization is trimmed
- See [skill:dotnet-csharp-modern-patterns] for related C# features used in generated code
### `[JsonSerializable]` with Polymorphism (net7.0+)
```csharp
[JsonDerivedType(typeof(CreditCardPayment), "credit")]
[JsonDerivedType(typeof(BankTransferPayment), "bank")]
public abstract class Payment
{
public decimal Amount { get; init; }
}
public class CreditCardPayment : Payment
{
public required string CardLast4 { get; init; }
}
public class BankTransferPayment : Payment
{
public required string AccountNumber { get; init; }
}
[JsonSerializable(typeof(Payment))]
public partial class PaymentJsonContext : JsonSerializerContext;
```json
---
## Generator Reference: Packaging and Consumption
### Referencing a Generator in a Consuming Project
```xml
<ItemGroup>
<ProjectReference Include="..\MyGenerator\MyGenerator.csproj"
OutputItemType="Analyzer"
ReferenceOutputAssembly="false" />
</ItemGroup>
```csharp
### NuGet Package Layout
When shipping a generator as a NuGet package, place the assembly under `analyzers/dotnet/cs/`:
```text
MyGenerator.nupkg
analyzers/
dotnet/
cs/
MyGenerator.dll
lib/
netstandard2.0/
_._ (empty placeholder if no runtime dependency)
```text
```xml
<!-- In the generator .csproj -->
<PropertyGroup>
<IncludeBuildOutput>false</IncludeBuildOutput>
<DevelopmentDependency>true</DevelopmentDependency>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<None Include="$(OutputPath)\$(AssemblyName).dll"
Pack="true"
PackagePath="analyzers/dotnet/cs" />
</ItemGroup>
```text
---
## Debugging Source Generators
```csharp
// Add to Initialize() for attach-debugger workflow
#if DEBUG
if (!System.Diagnostics.Debugger.IsAttached)
{
System.Diagnostics.Debugger.Launch();
}
#endif
```text
Alternatively, emit generated files to disk for inspection:
```xml
<!-- In the consuming project -->
<PropertyGroup>
<EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles>true</EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles>
<CompilerGeneratedFilesOutputPath>Generated</CompilerGeneratedFilesOutputPath>
</PropertyGroup>
```text
Add `Generated/` to `.gitignore`.
---
## Code Navigation (Serena MCP)
**Primary approach:** Use Serena symbol operations for efficient code navigation:
1. **Find definitions**: `serena_find_symbol` instead of text search
2. **Understand structure**: `serena_get_symbols_overview` for file organization
3. **Track references**: `serena_find_referencing_symbols` for impact analysis
4. **Precise edits**: `serena_replace_symbol_body` for clean modifications
**When to use Serena vs traditional tools:**
- ✅ **Use Serena**: Navigation, refactoring, dependency analysis, precise edits
- ✅ **Use Read/Grep**: Reading full files, pattern matching, simple text operations
- ✅ **Fallback**: If Serena unavailable, traditional tools work fine
**Example workflow:**
```text
# Instead of:
Read: src/Services/OrderService.cs
Grep: "public void ProcessOrder"
# Use:
serena_find_symbol: "OrderService/ProcessOrder"
serena_get_symbols_overview: "src/Services/OrderService.cs"
```
## References
- [Source Generator Cookbook](https://github.com/dotnet/roslyn/blob/main/docs/features/incremental-generators.cookbook.md)
- [Incremental Generators](https://github.com/dotnet/roslyn/blob/main/docs/features/incremental-generators.md)
- [GeneratedRegex source generator](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/base-types/regular-expression-source-generators)
- [Compile-time logging source generation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/extensions/logger-message-generator)
- [System.Text.Json source generation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/serialization/system-text-json/source-generation)
- [.NET Framework Design Guidelines](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/design-guidelines/)