Comments on: T4 Tutorial: Creating your first code generator

By: Joseph Baggett

Joseph Baggett — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:04:33 +0000

I am looking to learn T4 templates even though I know other code generators like CodeSmith, CodeBreeze, etc. I see the Server and Database objects being instantiated in the templates, but I do not see how I can see the T4 templates object model and view all the options I have access to. Can someone redirect/point me to where I need to look to view the T4 templates object model?

By: Bob Shirley

Bob Shirley — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:30:28 +0000

Hi, Oleg - I hope I haven’t missed this answer somewhere, but I’m having the same problem as some others in that I’ve installed your Toolbox (v9.12.25.1) but I do not see the Code Generation additions when creating a new project in VS.

I’m running VS 2008 Pro, v 9.0.30729.1 SP, on .Net 3.5 SP1.

Any idea what’s wrong ?

Thanks,
Bob S.

By: salman

salman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:24:18 +0000

I rolled my own version of this by just hooking into sql server’s build in procedures. I wish I ran into this post earlier hehe.

By: Oleg Sych

Oleg Sych — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:33:23 +0000

Thanks for the heads-up Geoff. I have renamed the “File” item template into “Script” a while back, but forgot to update this article.

By: Geoff Brown

Geoff Brown — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Oleg,
In your tutorial, you say:
“Click Project->Add New Item in the main menu and select Code Generation->File template in the dialog.” However, I don’t see a “File” template. I do see “Azman Authorization Store”, “Ling to SQL Model”, “Script”, “Unit Test”, “Enumeration with a SQL View”, “Generator”, and “Template”.

Please advise.

By the way, your work looks really interesting.

Thanks

I’m using “VS2008 Pro Ver 9.0.30729.1 SP” and “T4 Toolbox 9.10″.

By: Oleg Sych

Oleg Sych — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:57:07 +0000

We can only speculate. If you need to solve a particular problem, CodeSmith may still be a better option if it provides a ready-to-use set of templates you can use instead of building them yourself in T4.

By: Justin Spaey

Justin Spaey — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:41:54 +0000

Hi Oleg

Thanks a lot for this. I was about to purchase CodeSmith when I came across this site by accident.

Why is this such an unknown feature? Before today, I had never heard of T4. Sometimes I wonder about Micrsoft’s marketing department.

By: Salvatore Di Fazio

Salvatore Di Fazio — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:32:04 +0000

Hi Oleg Sych,
I had downloaded T4 ver. 9.10.12.1.
My VS 2008 is a Team System edition ver. 9.0.30729.1 SP.

The tangibleprojectsystem and tangible t4 edit are installed.

Thank you :)

By: Oleg Sych

Oleg Sych — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:48:13 +0000

Allright, hold on. I’m going to perform a Vulcan mind meld… Still working… Still working… Oh man, I’m too rusty!

Seriously, Salvatore, could you help me out here? What is the version and edition of Visual Studio you are using? Which version of the T4 Toolbox did you install? What type of project did you try to use?

By: Salvatore Di Fazio

Salvatore Di Fazio — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:33:09 +0000

Hi I had installed the T4 Editor and the T4 Toolbox, but I haven’t the “Code Generation” option.
Tnx in advance