Articles Archive

UML Modeling and Code Generation in Visual Studio 2010


This article provides an overview of UML modeling in Visual Studio 2010. Assuming that reader is already familiar with UML, it focuses on custom UML profiles - an extensibility mechanism that can be used to tailor UML models to a particular problem domain. Readers will see an example of such a profile, which extends UML Class Diagrams for database modeling. Finally, the article shows how code can be generated from UML models using T4 text templates.

Simplifying Entity Framework: Data-Driven Design


This article reviews the theory and practice behind ADO.NET Entity Framework, discusses limitations of the current tools it provides and compares the benefits offered by solving the object-relational impedance mismatch against their costs. The article suggest using Entity Framework to improve and reduce costs of data-driven application design, which is prevalent in todays information systems and describes a code generation solution built using T4 Toolbox that can be used to achieve this goal.

T4 Toolbox: Automatic Template Transformation


This article discusses new features of T4 Toolbox that allow you trigger code generation automatically when the input or model file changes and while still giving developers the ability to customize the code generation using rich template-based functionality of T4.

Understanding T4: Preprocessed Text Templates


This article provides an overview of preprocessed text templates in Visual Studio 2010 and includes detailed description of differences between preprocessed and traditional text templates.

T4 and CodeDOM - Better Together


This article discusses advantages and drawbacks of T4 and CodeDOM and shows how to combine these code generation technologies to get the best of both worlds and allow tool developers to build code generators that can produce code in multiple .NET languages and allow application developers to extend them using templating features of T4 and the programming language of their choice.

T4 Tutorial: Generating Code from DSL Models


This article provides an overview of Domain-Specific Languages in Visual Studio SDK and demonstrates how to use T4 Toolbox to make DSL code generators easier to use, maintain and extend.

Customizing TFS Process Guidance


This article provides an overview of customizing process guidance for Visual Studio Team Foundation Server.

T4 Toolbox: Visual Basic as Template Language


As of version 9.7, T4 Toolbox now supports Visual Basic as the template language in addition to C#.

T4 Toolbox: LINQ to SQL schema generator


This article describes how to use model-first approach to develop database applications using LINQ to SQL and version 9.5 of T4 Toolbox.

Crossing Domain Boundaries: Windows Authentication


This article describes a set of simple configuration changes and utilities to make most applications using integrated Windows authentication work correctly accross domain boundaries.