How to run commands from a file inside a C# program

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I would like to know if there was a way I could get C# to run commands from a text file. For example: I have built a program and it opens text files and if there is C# code inside it it will run it. But I know that it couldn't run every command available or else I'd have to make reference to every system component which would be tedious and unecessary in my case. But is there a way of running code inside a program from a text file?

Posted 14-Apr-11 15:46pm

Codemonkey3

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4 solutions

Solution 2

You are looking for CSharpCodeProvider. Check out this link

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304655[^]

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4063285/missing-assembly-references-in-dynamically-compiled-code[^]

You HAVE to add the references using CompilerParameters.ReferencedAssemblies.Add(...) and I don't think there is a simple way to work around this. If you want to add required assemblies alone, you may have to build a C# parser yourself.

Of course that's not impossible and you could do it using YACC/Bison (parsers) and Lex (lexical analyzers) and then link them to your application, but obviously it isn't easy! But they are definitely an interesting read!

Posted 14-Apr-11 16:24pm

Karthik. A

Solution 3

It all depends on what you want to have for commands.

If this is C# code, it is quite solvable, too, but involves a lot of programming.
You can find all the details in my past Answers and references on this page:
code generating using CodeDom[^].

—SA

Posted 14-Apr-11 17:36pm

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Solution 4

Try this article A tool for dynamic compile and run of C# or VB.NET code[^]There are similar topics on the side pane.

Posted 14-Apr-11 21:19pm

apaka

Updated 14-Apr-11 21:21pm

v2

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**Orcun Iyigun** · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-14T16:15:00

Solution 1

First of all, I know it is not a text file but that might help you running C# codes from a file.

What you might want to do is create a .bat file. And then execute this file.

Creta a bat file to run C# Code[^]

For running the bat file here is the code;

System.Diagnostics.Process proc = new System.Diagnostics.Process(); // Declare New Process
                proc.StartInfo.FileName = fileName;
                proc.StartInfo.WindowStyle = System.Diagnostics.ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
                proc.StartInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
                proc.Start();
                proc.WaitForExit();

Basically this will do it tho;

System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(@"C:\listfiles.bat");

Posted 14-Apr-11 16:15pm

Orcun Iyigun

Updated 14-Apr-11 16:18pm

v2

Comments

Pong D. Panda 14-Apr-11 22:22pm

Well deserved 5!

Karthik. A 14-Apr-11 22:26pm

I believe the poster is asking about compiling and running C# inside text files, and not just DOS commands inside a .bat file

Karthik. A 14-Apr-11 22:30pm

Ok, I get your point. I would add this to your answer - You can invoke csc.exe like this System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(@"path_to_csc_compiler\csc.exe " + input_file); with the input .cs files passed, but the poster's problem would still exist.

Codemonkey3 14-Apr-11 22:51pm

I have selected this as the anwser to my question. However the credit goes to Karthik for his contribution