ConfigurationCodeGenerator

The ConfigurationCodeGenerator is a tool that you can use to expose your custom channel implementations to the configuration system. This allows users of your custom channel to configure your channel by using a .config file just as they would configure a system-provided binding such as NetTcpBinding or a custom binding using the TcpTransportBindingElement.

When you write a custom channel and expose it to the programming model by using a new BindingElement or Binding, you must create a set of classes to make the BindingElement or Binding configurable using a .config file. You can use the ConfigurationCodeGenerator tool to generate these classes and enhance your customer's experience.

To build the tool

1. To build the solution, follow the instructions in Building the Windows Communication Foundation Samples.

2. Building the solution generates one file: ConfigurationCodeGenerator.exe. The file SampleRun.cmd has a sample command line that shows how to use this tool to generate the classes for the Transport: UDP sample.

To run the tool

1. At the command prompt type the following if you have both a custom BindingElement type and a custom Binding type:

   ConfigurationCodeGenerator.exe /be:YourCustomBindingElementTypeName /sb:YourCustomStdBindingTypeName /dll:TheAssemblyWhereTheseTypesAreDefined
   

   Or type the following if you have only a custom BindingElement type:

   ConfigurationCodeGenerator.exe /be:YourCustomBindingElementTypeName /dll: TheAssemblyWhereThisTypeIsDefined
   

   Or type the following if you have only a custom Binding type:

   ConfigurationCodeGenerator.exe /sb:YourCustomStdBindingTypeName /dll:TheAssemblyWhereThisTypeIsDefined
   

   The command generates three .cs files for the BindingElement (if you specified the /be: option), five .cs files for the standard Binding (if you specified the /sb: option), and a .xml file.

   1. If you used the /be option, one of the .cs files implements the BindingElementExtensionSection for your binding element. This code exposes your BindingElement to the configuration system, so that other custom bindings can use your binding element. The other files have classes that represent defaults and constants. The files have //TODO comments to remind you to update the default values.

   2. If you specified the /sb option, two of the .cs files implement a StandardBindingElement and a StandardBindingCollectionElement respectively, which exposes your standard binding to the configuration system. The other files have classes that represent defaults and constants. The files have //TODO comments to remind you to update the default values.

      If you specified the /sb: option the CodeToAddTo<YourStdBinding>.cs has code that you must manually add into the class that implements your standard binding.

   The SampleConfig.xml file contains the configuration code that you must add to the configuration file that registers the handlers defined in the previous step 1 or 2.