T4 Toolbox

Oleg --

Regarding the change that would be required to existing code...

>>>The fix would be simple - replace RenderCore declaration with TransformText and make the method return this.GenerationEnvironment.ToString() because RenderCore was void and TransformText has to return a string.

...that change sounds fine to me, I think, if the change to existing code is as I think it is-- minimal.

Can you explain a bit more from an implementation-level exactly what actual code changes would be needed to existing templates?

Is it as simple as changing this...
protected override void RenderCore()
...to this...
protected override string TransformText()
{
...blah
return this.GenerationEnvironment.ToString();
}
...???

For example, I have the following...

The file "_T4CodeUtility02File.tt" includes/uses the file "_T4CodeUtility02Generator.tt".

The file "_T4CodeUtility02Generator.tt" includes/uses the file "_T4CodeUtility02Template.tt".

The code is something like the following.

Inside "_T4CodeUtility02File.tt" I call...
myGenerator.Run();

Inside "_T4CodeUtility02Generator.tt" I have...
protected override void RunCore()
...and...
myCodeUtility02Template.RenderToFile(myFileNameTemp);

Inside "_T4CodeUtility02Template.tt" I have...
protected override void RenderCore()

...and that works fine.

So, my understanding is that inside "_T4CodeUtility02Template.tt" I replace this...
protected override void RenderCore()
...with this...
protected override void TransformText()
...and inside "TransformText()" I would call...
this.GenerationEnvironment.ToString()
...at the end??? Or where?

(My reference implementation is my most recent "Northwind01_T4Sample_" at the link http://t4toolbox.codeplex.com/SourceControl/PatchList.aspx where the Patches are.)

Thank you.

-- Mark Kamoski

Oleg --

Regarding this...

>>>Yes, you would replace "protected override void RenderCore()" in your code with "public override string TransformText()" and add "return this.GenerationEnvironment.ToString()" at the end.

...that is easy as pie. No sweat here. FWIW. The caveat is that it must still work in VS.NET 2008 too. Without that, I am sunk.

Regarding this...

>>>We could also mark RenderCore as obsolete, but keep it working for traditional T4 Toolbox templates for a while to let people make this change at their own pace.

...I would vote "no" on this idea unless it is required to keep it working in VS.NET 2008, in which case I would vote "yes". (My current situation is such that the team will not be moving to VS.NET 2010 right away, which is a sad reality for me. Ug. That's another story.)

HTH.

Thank you.

-- Mark Kamoski