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https://github.com/devlooped/smallsharp
Create, edit and run multiple C# top-level programs in the same project by just selecting the startup program from the start button.
https://github.com/devlooped/smallsharp
console-application csharp csharp-sourcegenerator learning visual-studio
Last synced: 7 days ago
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Create, edit and run multiple C# top-level programs in the same project by just selecting the startup program from the start button.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/devlooped/smallsharp
- Owner: devlooped
- License: mit
- Created: 2020-10-01T05:19:49.000Z (about 4 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2024-11-20T01:08:00.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-12-14T13:02:36.483Z (15 days ago)
- Topics: console-application, csharp, csharp-sourcegenerator, learning, visual-studio
- Language: C#
- Homepage: https://clarius.org/SmallSharp
- Size: 6.72 MB
- Stars: 287
- Watchers: 5
- Forks: 12
- Open Issues: 2
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: readme.md
- Changelog: changelog.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
- License: license.txt
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
 SmallSharp
============
[](https://www.nuget.org/packages/SmallSharp) [](https://www.nuget.org/packages/SmallSharp) [](https://github.com/devlooped/SmallSharp/blob/main/LICENSE) [](https://github.com/devlooped/avatar/actions?query=branch%3Amain+workflow%3Abuild+)
Create, edit and run multiple C# top-level programs in the same project 😍
## Why
The new-ish C# [top-level programs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/fundamentals/program-structure/top-level-statements)
allow a very intuitive, simple and streamlined experience for quickly spiking or learning C#.
One missing thing since their introduction in Visual Studio is that you can only have one such
top-level program in a project. This means that in order to prototype or learn a different area
of .NET, you'd be forced to either replace your previous top-level program or change it to be a
non-compile item somehow so you can keep it around (i.e. rename to a `.txt` or change its build action).
**SmallSharp** allows you to select which file should be the top-level program to run, right from
the Start button/dropdown (for compilation and launch/debug). Moreover, it will monitor the active
file you're editing, and automatically make it the startup file for you!
This list is automatically kept in sync as you add more `.cs` files to the project. When you select
one target C# file, that becomes the only top-level program to be compiled, so you don't have to
modify any of the others since they automatically become *None* items.
All compile files directly under the project directory root are considered top-level programs for
selection and compilation purposes. If you need to share code among them, you can place them in
subdirectories and those will behave like normal compile items.
## Usage
There is no need to install any Visual Studio extension. SmallSharp works by just installing the
[SmallSharp](https://nuget.org/packages/SmallSharp) nuget package in a C# console project.
1. Create a new Console project:
By default, this new console project may not be set up to target `net5.0` or use the latest C# version.
So click on the project node, and the project file will open in the editor. Make sure you either:
* Target the recommended framework version (i.e. net6.0):
```xml
Exe
net6.0
```
* Or use latest C# language version if targeting another framework:
```xml
Exe
net472
latest
```
1. Install the **SmallSharp** nuget package using your preferred method:
* From the Dependencies node, Manage NuGet Packages dialog:
* By just adding it directly to the .csproj:
```xml
```
* Via the dotnet CLI:
```
> dotnet add package SmallSharp
```
* Via the Package Manager console:
```
PM> install-package SmallSharp
```
3. Now open that Program.cs and make changes to the new concise top-level program such as:
```csharp
using System;
using static System.Console;
WriteLine("Hello World!");
```
Keep adding as many top-level programs as you need, and switch between them easily by simply
changing the active document.
## How It Works
This nuget package leverages in concert the following standalone and otherwise
unrelated features of the compiler, nuget, Visual Studio and MSBuild:
1. The C# compiler only allows one top-level program per compilation.
2. Launch profiles (the entries in the Run dropdown) are populated from the Properties\launchSettings.json file
3. Whenever changed, the dropdown selection is persisted as the `$(ActiveDebugProfile)` MSBuild property in a file
named after the project with the `.user` extension
4. This file is imported before NuGet-provided MSBuild targets
5. The `$(DefaultItemExcludesInProjectFolder)` MSBuild property allows excluding items at the project-level from
the automatically added items by the SDK.
Using the above features in concert, **SmallSharp** essentially does the following:
* Monitor the active document in VS and emit it as a `launchSettings.json` profile and set it as
the `$(ActiveDebugProfile)`.
* Exclude `.cs` files at the project level from being included as `` by the default SDK
includes and include them explicitly as `` instead so they show up in the solution explorer.
This prevents the compiler from causing an error for multiple top-level programs.
* Explicitly include as `` only the `$(ActiveDebugProfile)` property value.
This basically mean that this it will also work consistently if you use `dotnet run` from the command-line,
since the "Main" file selection is performed exclusively via MSBuild item manipulation.
Finally, there is some lovely COM-based magic to access the active Visual Studio IDE (via DTE) to monitor
the currently opened source file to keep it in sync with the launch profile. This is done purely using
public COM primitives and equally public VSSDK nuget packages their APIs. This enables some useful integration
with the IDE without requiring installing a VS extension from the marketplace and deal with gracefully
degrading functionality.
> NOTE: If active document tracking fails to initialize properly restarting Visual Studio will almost
> always fix it. Once tracking starts, it will work consistently from that point on. The Start dropdown
> is always available as a fallback in case of issues.
# Sponsors
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[](https://github.com/sponsors/devlooped)
[Learn more about GitHub Sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors)