A Visual Studio extension for generating early bound classes for Microsoft Dynamics CRM entities based on a template file, similar to Entity Framework.
Features
- Built for Visual Studio
- You never have to leave Visual Studio to regenerate the code
- All the configurations are saved in the project itself, which facilitates Version Control
- Preserved the original CrmSvcUtil structure and logic
- Customize the way the code is generated
- You get a default T4 template for the code that is generated, with a multitude more features than the official tool (features below)
- You can rewrite the whole template if you wish for any possible requirements
- Replaced the SDK types with .NET types
- E.g. OptionSetValue => Enum (Enum[] for Multi-select), EntityReference => Guid, Money => decimal, ... etc.
- Generate only what's needed
- Only choose the entities required
- Only the fields required
- Additional control
- Option to use display names of entities and fields as variable names instead of logical names
- Override field names inside the tool's UI
- Ability to Lock variable names to avoid code errors on regeneration
- Greatly enhanced regeneration speed by only fetching changed metadata from the server
- Support for strongly-typed alternate keys, for entities and Entity References
- Add annotations for model validation
- Generate metadata
- Field logical and schema names
- Localised labels
- Automatically limit attributes retrieved from CRM on any entity in a LINQ to the ones choosen (filtered) in the tool (check new entity constructors)
- Many options to optimise generated code size even further
- Define web service contracts with different profiles
- Option to mark certain fields as 'read-only'
- Option to link CRM entity profile with contract profiles, which effectively copies selection changes made in contracts to the CRM entity
- Generate concrete classes for CRM Actions
- Support bulk relation loading
- Support filtering on relation loading
This tool is available as an XrmToolBox plugin as well (here).
How To Use
You can read a quick overview of the tool and its functionality here.
To get started, install the Visual Studio extension (here).
Note: any window can be closed by pressing the ESC button on the keyboard, even if the generator is busy.
Add a template to your project
Highlight the project where you want to add the template and generated code.
Click on Tools –> Add CRM Code Generator Template... (if you don't see this menu, then shutdown VS and reinstall the extension).
- Start with one of the provided templates.
- After a template is added to your project you will be prompted for CRM connection info.
- Pick the entities that you want to include.
- Click the "Generate Code" button.
If you make schema changes in CRM and you want to refresh the code, right click the template and select "Run Custom Tool".
Changing the template
When you make changes to the template and save, Visual Studio will automatically attempt to regenerate the code.
Screenshots
Upcoming/planned
- Add: Visual Studio Shared Projects support
- Add: undo/redo
- Add: parse placeholders in annotations for LogicalName and variable name
- Add: [template] File field, with a Get and Set that uses the SDK message
- Add: enum annotations (DisplayName ... etc.)
- Add: option to add alternate keys to contracts
- Add: option to use CRM-only contracts to replace Contract classes, optionally
- Add: [template] an attribute/annotation to the Clear Flag fields in contracts, to ease parsing them in helper methods
- Add: [template] XrmDefinitelyTyped support, and generate form structure
- Improve: [template] rework lookup labels localisation
- After the upgrade to v7, it has been buggy, and I don't like how it uses ExecuteMultiple to load labels in the first place; so I need to come up with a method that is faster but still as efficient
- Fix: [template] helpers to support new stuff since v7
Credits & Contributions
- Eric Labashosky:
- Original extension base code
- My work:
- Redesigned the screens and most of the logic
- Greatly boosted the generation and regeneration speed
- Added the features that don't exist in the Microsoft's tool
- Ramy Victor:
- Enhancements
- Debugging during the early versions
- Mohammed Ghoname:
- New feature suggestions during the early versions
- ClemensWon:
Changes
- Check Releases page for the later changes
v1.1.1 (2015-03-01)
Copyright © by Ahmed Elsawalhy (Yagasoft) -- GPL v3 Licence
