adding reference programmatically

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Hi,

I've been on this for couple hours!!

I searched google and of course this site but didnt find some useful thing about adding reference programmatically!

I'm writing an application which in some part of this application I need to generate some code in application's run time and create an exe file and run that .exe gets some result from that, then cleanup everything!

My problem is I dont know how to add-in some reference.
For example, if I have something like this, when I compile generated codes I give compile error which indicates that I did not add references!!!!

// Some generated code here ...

// COMPILE ERROR : I DID NOT ADD ' SYSTEM.XML ' REFERENCE
System.Xml.XmlConvert obj = new System.Xml.XmlConvert();

// Some other generated code here ...

Can someone give me some useful and correct code/reference ???

I need help ASAP

thanks in advance ;)

Posted 6-Mar-11 9:09am

dariush_ha

Updated 6-Mar-11 21:45pm

Dalek Dave

v4

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Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 16:06pm

Interesting question, my 4! It won't work like that. There are other opportunities I described in my Answer; this is all you can do.
You can also give up using any dynamic assembly, which could be a sound practical solution, depending on your ultimate goals.
--SA

dariush_ha 6-Mar-11 19:21pm

my problem definitely needs dynamic code generating, and in code generating i definitely need to using dynamic assemblies!:|
there is no other way(beside dynamic code generating) if there was i noticed:)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 20:53pm

Can you explain the ultimate goals of the project in connection to your ideas of dynamic usage of the assembly? So far, I cannot see the use case. For example, System.Xml reference the assembly which is in .NET CAG, you just have to reference it in first place.

I gave you all the technical aspects you may possibly need. That's all you can do. On top of that, there must be the application architecture of on your technological and design. It should be considered upon the principle goals of the project.

--SA

dariush_ha 6-Mar-11 21:17pm

I didnt say what is the purpose of this project because i thing this maybe funny:)

The project ultimate goal is design a prototype of what Visual Studio is doing !!

dariush_ha 6-Mar-11 21:25pm

Well of course this is not a serious job:D:D

i'm just sophomore of software engineering, and this is my home work, which will take my next 3 month!:)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 7-Mar-11 3:03am

Wait a minute! What I say before is just for basic functionality, when you only want to compile the assemblies to the files.

A different story if you need to create a run-time host as in VS, to run the compiled application from your IDE application. In this case, you need the most advanced approach with AppDomain I described in my Answer.

--SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 22:17pm

I don't know how to make intellisense (it's not hard if all is compiled, but VS shows reasonable intellisense even if there are compilation errors -- often, which is amazing) and not comfortable about implementing debugger (and it's not possible to get in three months), but basic UI with editors and compilation: why not?

Now, the ugly truth is: you don't need dynamic assemblies to achieve this basic functionality (surprize?). All you need is to learn Code DOM, which is not too hard. You don't need even to run compiler as a process: all in embedded in those Microsoft Code DOM providing assemblies.

Good you've shared the goal. Do you have questions?

--SA

P.S.
In more advanced case, see my comment above -- solution with AppDomains.

Dalek Dave 7-Mar-11 3:45am

Edited for Grammar and Spelling.

dariush_ha 7-Mar-11 13:50pm

thank u, my english is not good:)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 7-Mar-11 14:41pm

I did not say .NET does not work with DLL, by the way, I only say that there is not big difference between assemblies of different type, DLL and EXE is just extensions use to follow Shell practices and just tradition. All right, I like your mood and wish you good luck.
--SA

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Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-06T10:01:00

Solution 3

This is no such thing as "adding reference" to executing assembly. You have to add (load) assembly itself.

You either load all assemblies statically during compilation or load and use a new assembly during run-time. This way you can develop plug-ins to your system: you can locate the class from System.Reflection.Assembly (don't do it by name, this is unsupportable; instead, declare and use some interface a plug-in class is supposed to implement and find a class by its interface using System.Reflection.Assembly.GetTypes, alternatively, you can develop and use some assembly attribute to point out what classes to use as the plug-in implementation classes, but also use interface.) An assembly can be loaded during run time using the methods System.Reflection.Assembly.LoadFile, System.Reflection.Assembly.LoadFrom or System.Reflection.Assembly.Load. When a plug-in class is located, obtain and invoke its constructor and assign the constructed object to interface reference. Use this interface reference to work with this (dynamically loaded during run-time) assembly.

There can be a more difficult requirement, when you need to load assemblies repeatedly. This would cause a memory leak, because — attention! — it is not possible to unload assembly. This is designed so due to .NET ideology to avoid potential problems with calls to unloaded code. However, it can be done through loading a new assembly in a separate Application Domain: the whole domain can be unloaded. See the class System.AppDomain for more information. The assemblies can be loaded in the Domain using System.AppDomain.Load methods.

The AppDomain approach may need considerable design/development approach due to complete data isolation between Application Domains, so inter-domain exchange is the same inter-process communication. This task is simplified for inter-domain communications, because the class System.AppDomain provides simplified inter-process communication facilities such as System.AppDomain.SetData methods.

I've listed all of the possibilities, to best of my knowledge. One can say System.Reflection.Emit methods are also applicable. This is true but beyond the subject under discussion. Emits methods address creation and using of code during run time, not using already existing compiled assemblies.

—SA

Posted 6-Mar-11 10:01am

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Updated 6-Mar-11 10:09am

v2

Comments

Bryian Tan 6-Mar-11 16:31pm

Good feedback :)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 18:29pm

Thank you. Most importantly, working.
--SA

dariush_ha 6-Mar-11 16:52pm

seems wise answer, thank you:)
let me see what can i do.
i'm not accepting this answer because, there are may be other ways, let's not close this topic for a while;)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 18:37pm

You will need to accept the answer when and if you understand it; I'll explain why:

You see, even if your use a different approach, it will surely be beyond your Question. (The question is very interesting.) You wanted to add reference during run time, but the only relevant technique is adding (loading) assembly during run-time. All other methods will be at the level of application re-design based on giving up the dynamic (run-time) assembly.

Practically, your overwork can be better that dynamic method (easier, more reliable, etc.), but you see, when you accept the Answer, the main criteria is answering your original Question, not practical options beyond the topic of the Question.

If you want to discuss something beyond that, ask another Question...
Isn't that fair enough?

--SA

dariush_ha 6-Mar-11 18:41pm

fair enough;)

dariush_ha 6-Mar-11 17:43pm

i confused a little bit!!
could u provide an example (in code), how can i Load for example ' System.Xml '??

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 18:28pm

It would need too much time, sorry. Decide which way do you need, explain your idea better.
First, decide for yourself if you need a dynamic load of assembly.
Read carefully, find read on each API in help and try to follow my line. It takes time but not hard to do -- this is your work.
Then ask further questions (use "Improve answer" and "Add comment", don't post anything as the Answer, please).
--SA

dariush_ha 6-Mar-11 19:04pm

ok,to be honest, i got what is my problem

first: it is totally in dark for me, working with GetType, type and this kind pf code, actually i dont have any understanding about how types implement in programming languages and how compiler deal with them!

because of this lack of knowledge i always have trouble with working with 'type's matter
i didnt find any source which explain my problem from inside to outside

second: [it's may be funny, but this also my problem] i dont know how visual studio handle dlls

if i have some understanding of what i explain before, then it just matter of handling and managing, and coding ....

I'll be very grateful if you introduce me some appropriate resources on this topic

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 20:17pm

I can explain all that if you ask a bit more to the point. Perhaps more then one thread of discussion (more then one Question) will be needed.
--SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 21:05pm

After some thinking, I should say I appreciate your "to be honest" explanation. This is a sign of certain maturity and the only route to mastership.

I have an impression, that you really need to slow down and get to the simpler development scenario but more in depth. At this moment, you certainly need deep understanding of what make difference in the following: code, data and meta-data, on how it works together. You also need deeper understanding of relationship between project, compile time, run-time, CLR, JIT and the native code, also the modularity (do you know the difference between Assembly and Module)?

To start with, you should understand that in .NET there are no DLLs, in essence (surprise?). You better avoid the term DLL: it's valid in windows but makes no special sense in .NET. This is no more than an extension for assembly _typically_ use as a library. In fact, you can use any .EXE exactly as DLL. You could use DLL as EXE if you add only one mechanism: how to add entry point (a paragraph about plug-in in my Answer gives you the idea). The available mechanism used to tell the Shell where is the entry point is the only difference of .EXE. This .EXE file is referred to as "main module of the entry assembly", when the process is running returned by System.Reflection.Assembly.GetEntryAssembly.Location() (very useful API to know).

--SA

dariush_ha 6-Mar-11 21:48pm

yeah i surprised:D

and i have no idea about any of them, i just ' start ' programming about a year!!:(

well i've got great talent in my course, but my greatest problem is i dont know which direction i have to take, the path is totaly dark for me and so on

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 6-Mar-11 22:27pm

Interesting. I would say you're doing a too ambitions project for a first or second year.
However, I can tell you I took even more ambitious goal very early in my self-education. For example I started my own Computer Algebra System (unique approach, it does not exist anywhere else), finished years later, but then I started and quickly completed my own threading system from scratch at Assembler level. At that time, threading was not yet introduced in Linux and C++ did not introduced Structured Exception Handling yes, but I already had it, fully-fledged, again, from scratch as Assembler level. Can you imagine such things?
--SA

Sandeep Mewara 7-Mar-11 1:44am

Great answer and discussion!

10+

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 7-Mar-11 3:17am

Oh, thank you. Question is interesting, despite of some misconception, which is a natural thing.
--SA

Dalek Dave 7-Mar-11 3:45am

Good Call.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 7-Mar-11 14:52pm

Thank you, Dalek,
--SA

avigodse · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-08T00:07:00

//'This is the very small sample of creating runtime executable and adding references to it.
public static void Main(string[] arguements)
{
System.Text.StringBuilder lScript = new System.Text.StringBuilder();
lScript.Append("Public Class TestVB" + Environment.NewLine);
lScript.Append("Public Shared Sub Main()" + Environment.NewLine);
lScript.Append("System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(\"Hello World!\")" + Environment.NewLine);
lScript.Append("End Sub" + Environment.NewLine);
lScript.Append("End Class" + Environment.NewLine);
string tempPath = System.IO.Path.GetTempFileName();
System.IO.StreamWriter streamWriter = null;
streamWriter = System.IO.File.CreateText(tempPath);
streamWriter.Write(lScript.ToString());
streamWriter.Flush();
streamWriter.Close();
System.CodeDom.Compiler.CompilerResults comResult = null;
System.CodeDom.Compiler.CompilerErrorCollection compErrors = new System.CodeDom.Compiler.CompilerErrorCollection();
Microsoft.VisualBasic.VBCodeProvider codeProvider = new Microsoft.VisualBasic.VBCodeProvider();
System.CodeDom.Compiler.CompilerParameters compilerParameters = new System.CodeDom.Compiler.CompilerParameters();
compilerParameters.ReferencedAssemblies.Add("System.dll");
compilerParameters.ReferencedAssemblies.Add("System.Windows.Forms.dll");
compilerParameters.GenerateExecutable = true;
compilerParameters.TreatWarningsAsErrors = false;
comResult = codeProvider.CompileAssemblyFromFile(compilerParameters, tempPath);
compErrors = comResult.Errors;
System.Text.StringBuilder errors = new System.Text.StringBuilder();
foreach (System.CodeDom.Compiler.CompilerError comError in comResult.Errors)
{
errors.Append(comError.ToString());
}
Console.WriteLine(errors.ToString());
Console.ReadKey();
Assembly myapplication = comResult.CompiledAssembly;
System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo info = new System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo(System.IO.Directory.GetParent(tempPath).FullName + @"\" + myapplication.ManifestModule.Name);
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(info);
}