Chapter 10. Managing the .NET Compiler
This chapter covers
- The evolution of the compilers
- Using the Roslyn API to generate code
By now, we hope you’ve seen that metaprogramming in .NET isn’t only possible, it’s something you should always consider using whenever you create new applications. Metaprogramming requires more care and thought than “normal” .NET development, but the payoff comes with succinct, reusable, dynamic pieces of code. One recurring theme of this book is the use of frameworks to support these techniques—frameworks that provide you with a lot of power, but don’t come with an installation of .NET. With Project Roslyn—a framework from Microsoft that allows you to compile your C# or VB code with a managed API—that’s going to change in a big way.
This chapter gives you a quick tour of the history of compilers within the Microsoft world, how they’ve been done in the past, and what Roslyn does to change that traditional architecture. You’ll also get an overview of key features within the Roslyn API that will help you understand how you’ll be able to use Roslyn to support the metaprogramming techniques discussed in this book. Finally, you’ll see how Roslyn can make program analysis easier.
First, let’s see what Roslyn is doing to change the compiler world in .NET.