How can I dynamically generate a C# class at runtime using a list of field definitions?

Dynamically Generating a Runtime Class

Problem Statement

Suppose you have a list of fields as follows:

[
    {"EmployeeID","int"},
    {"EmployeeName","String"},
    {"Designation","String"}
]

Your goal is to dynamically create a class with these field properties at runtime, resembling the following structure:

Class DynamicClass
{
    int EmployeeID,
    String EmployeeName,
    String Designation
}

This class should not exist as a physical CS file on your system.

Solution

The solution to this problem lies in utilizing the System.Reflection.Emit namespace. While it's not a straightforward process, it enables runtime class creation.

Code Sample:

The following code provides a general idea of how to approach this task:

using System;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Reflection.Emit;

namespace TypeBuilderNamespace
{
    public static class MyTypeBuilder
    {
        public static void CreateNewObject()
        {
            var myType = CompileResultType();
            var myObject = Activator.CreateInstance(myType);
        }
        
        public static Type CompileResultType()
        {
            TypeBuilder tb = GetTypeBuilder();
            ConstructorBuilder constructor = tb.DefineDefaultConstructor(MethodAttributes.Public | MethodAttributes.SpecialName | MethodAttributes.RTSpecialName);

            // Loop through the field list to create class properties
            foreach (var field in yourListOfFields)
                CreateProperty(tb, field.FieldName, field.FieldType);

            // Compile the Type object
            Type objectType = tb.CreateType();
            return objectType;
        }

        private static TypeBuilder GetTypeBuilder()
        {
            var typeSignature = "MyDynamicType";
            var an = new AssemblyName(typeSignature);
            AssemblyBuilder assemblyBuilder = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.DefineDynamicAssembly(an, AssemblyBuilderAccess.Run);
            ModuleBuilder moduleBuilder = assemblyBuilder.DefineDynamicModule("MainModule");
            TypeBuilder tb = moduleBuilder.DefineType(typeSignature,
                    TypeAttributes.Public |
                    TypeAttributes.Class |
                    TypeAttributes.AutoClass |
                    TypeAttributes.AnsiClass |
                    TypeAttributes.BeforeFieldInit |
                    TypeAttributes.AutoLayout,
                    null);
            return tb;
        }

        private static void CreateProperty(TypeBuilder tb, string propertyName, Type propertyType)
        {
            // Define private fields, getter, and setter methods
            FieldBuilder fieldBuilder = tb.DefineField("_" + propertyName, propertyType, FieldAttributes.Private);
            
            PropertyBuilder propertyBuilder = tb.DefineProperty(propertyName, PropertyAttributes.HasDefault, propertyType, null);
            MethodBuilder getPropMthdBldr = tb.DefineMethod("get_" + propertyName, MethodAttributes.Public | MethodAttributes.SpecialName | MethodAttributes.HideBySig, propertyType, Type.EmptyTypes);
            ILGenerator getIl = getPropMthdBldr.GetILGenerator();

            getIl.Emit(OpCodes.Ldarg_0);
            getIl.Emit(OpCodes.Ldfld, fieldBuilder);
            getIl.Emit(OpCodes.Ret);

            MethodBuilder setPropMthdBldr =
                tb.DefineMethod("set_" + propertyName,
                  MethodAttributes.Public |
                  MethodAttributes.SpecialName |
                  MethodAttributes.HideBySig,
                  null, new[] { propertyType });

            ILGenerator setIl = setPropMthdBldr.GetILGenerator();
            Label modifyProperty = setIl.DefineLabel();
            Label exitSet = setIl.DefineLabel();

            setIl.MarkLabel(modifyProperty);
            setIl.Emit(OpCodes.Ldarg_0);
            setIl.Emit(OpCodes.Ldarg_1);
            setIl.Emit(OpCodes.Stfld, fieldBuilder);

            setIl.Emit(OpCodes.Nop);
            setIl.MarkLabel(exitSet);
            setIl.Emit(OpCodes.Ret);

            // Set property methods
            propertyBuilder.SetGetMethod(getPropMthdBldr);
            propertyBuilder.SetSetMethod(setPropMthdBldr);
        }
    }
}

The above is the detailed content of How can I dynamically generate a C# class at runtime using a list of field definitions?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!