How to programmatically parse and modify C# code

Question

What I want to do is to read C# code, parse it, insert some method calls and compile it finally.

Is it possible to convert C# source code (a list of strings) to CodeDOM objects?

Answer 1

This is a really old question, but is worth noting that the accepted answer no longer applies. Microsoft's recent Roslyn project is explicitly aimed at exposing all the knowledge the compiler gains about your codebase in the process of statically analyzing it, and exposing all this information through managed APIs for you to leverage. It is available for both VB and C#.

Since you want to consume static analysis information, you'll need the Microsoft.CodeAnalysis NuGet package (the stuff you need for C# is under the Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp namespace) and some time at the samples and walkthroughs page in the docs.

Answer 2

It is not directly possible to do this with the core .NET Framework. You need to use third party or add-on tools, for example:

• Open source C# Parser: http://www.codeplex.com/csparser
• GPLEX paired with a C# grammar: http://plas.fit.qut.edu.au/gplex/

Answer 3

Try Linq over C#. It's wonderful.