NDepend

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Exploring .NET Core 3.0 new API

.NET Core 3.0 is representing a major step for the .NET community. It is interesting to analyze what’s new in the API directly from the compiled bits. In this post I will first explain how to diff .NET Core 3.0 against .NET Core 2.2 with NDepend, and then how to browse diff results.

Arguably the biggest progress of .NET Core 3.0 will be the support for Winforms and WPF on the Windows platform. Since everything is new here, compare to .NET Core 2.2, we won’t analyze this part. However it will be interesting to analyze .NET Fx Winforms/WPF APIs vs .NET Core 3.0 Winforms/WPF APIs in another post (that I finally wrote here).

Analyzing two versions of .NET Core with NDepend

It takes a few minutes to download NDepend trial, install it and start VisualNDepend.exe, and it takes a few minutes to compare .NET Core 3.0 against .NET Core 2.2. If you want to browse the diff on your machine, expect 5 to 10 minutes to get hands-on.

First Start VisualNDepend.exe and click Compare 2 versions of a code base:

How to compare 2 versions of a code base

For both builds, choose Add Assemblies in Folder:

Choose C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App\2.2.2 for Older Build
Choose C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App\3.0.0-preview-27324-5 for Newer Build

Respectively 156 and 161 assemblies are gathered. Click Ok to run two analysis, on older and newer build. Both analysis results will be then diffed automatically.

Ready to compare 2 versions of .NET Core

Querying new API

Let’s start with a few CQLinq code queries to explore the new .NET Core 3.0 APIs:

This query match all new public code elements, including new assemblies, namespace, types, methods and fields:

from x in Application.CodeElements
where x.WasAdded()  
 && (!x.IsTypeOrMember || x.AsTypeOrMember.IsPubliclyVisible)
select x

from x in Application.CodeElements

where x.WasAdded()

&& (!x.IsTypeOrMember || x.AsTypeOrMember.IsPubliclyVisible)

select x

Use the NDepend query result to browse this large new API set : 5 new assemblies, 83 new namespaces, 297 new types, 4 924 new methods and 307 new fields. Note that code elements with pink background are not matched by the query, they are just here for preserving the code hierarchy in the result:

Download here this long list obtained by exporting the query result to excel. For a better result formatting I actually used this refined query to show properly parent assemblies/namespaces/types in excel columns:

from x in Application.CodeElements
where x.WasAdded()  
 && (!x.IsTypeOrMember || x.AsTypeOrMember.IsPubliclyVisible)
select new { x, 
Assembly = x.IsAssembly ?  x.Name : 
           x.IsNamespace ? x.Parent.Name : 
                           x.AsTypeOrMember.ParentAssembly.Name,

Namespace = x.IsAssembly ?  " " : 
            x.IsNamespace ? x.Name: 
                            x.AsTypeOrMember.ParentNamespace.Name,

Type = x.IsAssembly ? " " :
       x.IsNamespace ? " " :
       x.IsType ? x.Name:
       x.AsMember.ParentType.Name,

Member = x.IsMember ? x.Name : " "
}

from x in Application.CodeElements

where x.WasAdded()

&& (!x.IsTypeOrMember || x.AsTypeOrMember.IsPubliclyVisible)

select new { x,

Assembly = x.IsAssembly ? x.Name :

x.IsNamespace ? x.Parent.Name :

x.AsTypeOrMember.ParentAssembly.Name,

Namespace = x.IsAssembly ? " " :

x.IsNamespace ? x.Name:

x.AsTypeOrMember.ParentNamespace.Name,

Type = x.IsAssembly ? " " :

x.IsNamespace ? " " :

x.IsType ? x.Name:

x.AsMember.ParentType.Name,

Member = x.IsMember ? x.Name : " "

}

It is interesting to just focus on the 297 new public types with the code query below. Download the list here or browse the same list at the end of this post.

from t in Application.Types
where t.IsPubliclyVisible && t.WasAdded() 
select t

from t in Application.Types

where t.IsPubliclyVisible && t.WasAdded()

select t

It is also interesting to browse the new 1.101 public methods and 38 public fields added on public types that existed already in .NET Core 2.2. Download this list here.

from m in Application.Members
where m.IsPubliclyVisible 
   && m.WasAdded()
   && !m.ParentType.WasAdded()
select new { m }

from m in Application.Members

where m.IsPubliclyVisible

&& m.WasAdded()

&& !m.ParentType.WasAdded()

select new { m }

API Breaking Changes

NDepend proposes 6 default rules to browse API breaking changes.

These rules matche 19 public types removed from .NET Core 2.2 (see list below) 176 public methods removed and 36 public fields removed

Listing Methods Changed

Exploring the API evolution is useful for API consumers. For those working on the framework .NET Core itself, it is interesting to also browse implementation changes. The NDepend search by change panel proposes various options for that. Note that this search panel is actually a code query generator. The Edit query button proposes to edit and refine the currently generated query.

Another interesting point is that it is a semantic implementation change. All matched methods do behave differently at runtime. This makes this tool ideal to plan code change review without bothering with formatting and comments change.

Matched code elements can be highlighted in the metric view. From the screenshot above we can see at a glance that System.Xml and System.Data are much more stable than System.RunTime for example. By zooming in the view, we can get more information about which code was churned.

In the query result panel, a code element is underlined when its implementation changed. If you have compiled both source versions on your machine and analyzed those compiled versions, you can right click an underlined method and directly compare the diff in source code.

I hope you see value both in the results offered and in the how-to-diff procedure that can be applied to any .NET code base, assuming you have 2 versions to compare.

New .NET Core 3.0 types

Here is the list of the 297 new types added to .NET Core 3.0.

ParentAssembly	Full Name
WindowsBase	System.Windows.Markup .ValueSerializerAttribute
System.Xml.Linq	System.Xml.XPath.XDocumentExtensions
System.Threading.ThreadPool	System.Threading.IThreadPoolWorkItem
System.Threading.Tasks	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .AsyncIteratorMethodBuilder
System.Threading.Tasks	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .ConfiguredCancelableAsyncEnumerable<T>
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonCommentHandling
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonTokenType
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonDocument
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonElement
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json .JsonElement+ArrayEnumerator
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json .JsonElement+ObjectEnumerator
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonProperty
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonValueType
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonReaderException
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonReaderOptions
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonReaderState
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.Utf8JsonReader
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonWriterOptions
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.JsonWriterState
System.Text.Json	System.Text.Json.Utf8JsonWriter
System.Security.Principal.Windows	System.Security.Principal .WindowsAccountType
System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives	System.Security.Cryptography .PbeEncryptionAlgorithm
System.Security.Cryptography.Primitives	System.Security.Cryptography .PbeParameters
System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms	System.Security.Cryptography.AesCcm
System.Security.Cryptography.Algorithms	System.Security.Cryptography.AesGcm
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.CornerRadius
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.DurationType
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Duration
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.GridUnitType
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.GridLength
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Thickness
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.LayoutCycleException
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Markup .XamlParseException
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Automation .ElementNotAvailableException
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Automation .ElementNotEnabledException
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Matrix
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Media3D.Matrix3D
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Animation.KeyTime
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Animation .RepeatBehaviorType
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Animation .RepeatBehavior
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime.UI.Xaml	Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Primitives .GeneratorPosition
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	Windows.UI.Color
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	Windows.Foundation.Point
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	Windows.Foundation.Rect
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	Windows.Foundation.Size
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	System.WindowsRuntimeSystemExtensions
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	System.IO .WindowsRuntimeStorageExtensions
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	System.IO.WindowsRuntimeStreamExtensions
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	System.Threading.DispatcherQueueHandler
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	System.Threading.DispatcherQueuePriority
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	System.Runtime.InteropServices .WindowsRuntime.AsyncInfo
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	System.Runtime.InteropServices .WindowsRuntime.WindowsRuntimeBuffer
System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime	System.Runtime.InteropServices .WindowsRuntime .WindowsRuntimeBufferExtensions
System.Runtime.Serialization	System.Runtime.Serialization .ISerializationSurrogateProvider
System.Runtime.Loader	System.Runtime.Loader .AssemblyDependencyResolver
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.MidpointRounding
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector64
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector64<T>
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector128
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector128<T>
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector256
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector256<T>
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86 .FloatComparisonMode
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Aes
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Avx
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Avx2
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Bmi1
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Bmi2
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Fma
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Lzcnt
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Pclmulqdq
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Popcnt
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse2
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse3
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse41
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse42
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Ssse3
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Arm.Arm64.Aes
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Arm.Arm64.Base
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Arm.Arm64.Sha1
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Arm.Arm64 .Sha256
System.Runtime.Intrinsics	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Arm.Arm64.Simd
System.Runtime.InteropServices	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .IDispatchConstantAttribute
System.Runtime.InteropServices	System.Runtime.InteropServices .StandardOleMarshalObject
System.Runtime.InteropServices	System.Runtime.InteropServices .NativeLibrary
System.Runtime.Extensions	System.AppDomainSetup
System.Runtime.Extensions	System.Security.IStackWalk
System.Runtime.Extensions	System.Security.PermissionSet
System.Runtime.Extensions	System.Security.Permissions .PermissionState
System.Runtime.Extensions	System.Runtime.ProfileOptimization
System.Runtime	System.ArgIterator
System.Runtime	System.IAsyncDisposable
System.Runtime	System.Index
System.Runtime	System.Range
System.Runtime	System.Text.Rune
System.Runtime	System.Text.StringRuneEnumerator
System.Runtime	System.Globalization.ISOWeek
System.Runtime	System.Threading.Tasks.Sources .ManualResetValueTaskSourceCore<TResult>
System.Runtime	System.Runtime.Remoting.ObjectHandle
System.Runtime	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .AsyncIteratorStateMachineAttribute
System.Runtime	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .CallerArgumentExpressionAttribute
System.Runtime	System.Collections.Generic .IAsyncEnumerable<T>
System.Runtime	System.Collections.Generic .IAsyncEnumerator<T>
System.Private.CoreLib	System.IAsyncDisposable
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Index
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Range
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Text .StringBuilder+ChunkEnumerator
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Text.Rune
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Text.SpanRuneEnumerator
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Text.StringRuneEnumerator
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Globalization.ISOWeek
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Buffers.OperationStatus
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Buffers.StandardFormat
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Buffers.Text.Utf8Formatter
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Buffers.Text.Utf8Parser
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Buffers.Binary.BinaryPrimitives
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Threading.Tasks.Sources .ManualResetValueTaskSourceCore<TResult>
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Remoting.ObjectHandle
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Loader .AssemblyDependencyResolver
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .AsyncIteratorMethodBuilder
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .AsyncIteratorStateMachineAttribute
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .CallerArgumentExpressionAttribute
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .ConfiguredCancelableAsyncEnumerable<T>
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .ConfiguredCancelableAsyncEnumerable<T >+Enumerator
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector128
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.Vector256
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Bmi1+X64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Bmi2+X64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Lzcnt+X64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Popcnt+X64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse+X64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse2+X64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse41+X64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.Intrinsics.X86.Sse42+X64
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .DllImportResolver
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .NativeLibrary
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .ComActivationContext
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .ComActivationContextInternal
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .ComActivator
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .ComEventInterfaceAttribute
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .DefaultParameterValueAttribute
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Diagnostics.DebugProvider
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Collections.Generic .IAsyncEnumerable<T>
System.Private.CoreLib	System.Collections.Generic .IAsyncEnumerator<T>
System.Private.CoreLib	Internal.Resources.PRIExceptionInfo
System.Private.CoreLib	Internal.Resources .WindowsRuntimeResourceManagerBase
System.Private.CoreLib	Internal.Threading.Tasks .AsyncCausalitySupport
System.Private.CoreLib	Internal.Runtime.InteropServices .WindowsRuntime.ExceptionSupport
System.ObjectModel	System.Reflection.ICustomTypeProvider
System.ObjectModel	System.ComponentModel .TypeConverterAttribute
System.ObjectModel	System.ComponentModel .TypeDescriptionProviderAttribute
System.ObjectModel	System.Windows.Markup .ValueSerializerAttribute
System.Net.Sockets	System.Net.Sockets.SafeSocketHandle
System.Memory	System.Text.SpanRuneEnumerator
System.Memory	System.Buffers.SequenceReader<T>
System.Memory	System.Buffers.SequenceReaderExtensions
System	System.StringNormalizationExtensions
System	System.Reflection.ICustomTypeProvider
System	System.Windows.Markup .ValueSerializerAttribute
System	System.Runtime.InteropServices .StandardOleMarshalObject
System	System.Diagnostics.ConsoleTraceListener
System	System.Diagnostics .XmlWriterTraceListener
System	System.Diagnostics.StackFrameExtensions
System	System.Security.SecureStringMarshal
System	System.Net.Sockets .SocketReceiveFromResult
System	System.Net.Sockets .SocketReceiveMessageFromResult
System	System.Net.Sockets.SocketTaskExtensions
System.Diagnostics.TextWriterTraceListener	System.Diagnostics.ConsoleTraceListener
System.Diagnostics.TextWriterTraceListener	System.Diagnostics .XmlWriterTraceListener
System.Data	System.Xml.XmlDataDocument
System.Data	System.Data.Common.DbColumn
System.Data	System.Data.Common .DbDataReaderExtensions
System.Data	System.Data.Common .IDbColumnSchemaGenerator
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography.AesCng
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography.DSACng
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography .TripleDESCng
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography.ECCurve
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography .ECParameters
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography.ECPoint
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography .IncrementalHash
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography .X509Certificates.CertificateRequest
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography .X509Certificates .DSACertificateExtensions
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography .X509Certificates .SubjectAlternativeNameBuilder
System.Core	System.Security.Cryptography .X509Certificates.X509SignatureGenerator
System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter	System.ComponentModel.VersionConverter
System.ComponentModel.Primitives	System.ComponentModel .InvalidAsynchronousStateException
System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations	System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations .AssociatedMetadataTypeTypeDescriptionPr ovider
System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations	System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations .MetadataTypeAttribute
System.ComponentModel.Annotations	System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations .AssociatedMetadataTypeTypeDescriptionPr ovider
System.ComponentModel.Annotations	System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations .MetadataTypeAttribute
mscorlib	System.TupleExtensions
mscorlib	System.AppDomainSetup
mscorlib	System.Globalization .GlobalizationExtensions
mscorlib	System.Threading.ThreadPoolBoundHandle
mscorlib	System.Threading.PreAllocatedOverlapped
mscorlib	System.Runtime.ProfileOptimization
mscorlib	System.Runtime.Remoting.ObjectHandle
mscorlib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .RuntimeFeature
mscorlib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .IsByRefLikeAttribute
mscorlib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices.ITuple
mscorlib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .IsReadOnlyAttribute
mscorlib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .TupleElementNamesAttribute
mscorlib	System.Runtime.CompilerServices .IDispatchConstantAttribute
mscorlib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .RuntimeInformation
mscorlib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .Architecture
mscorlib	System.Runtime.InteropServices .OSPlatform
mscorlib	System.Reflection.Emit.DynamicILInfo
mscorlib	System.Security.IStackWalk
mscorlib	System.Security.PermissionSet
mscorlib	System.Security.Permissions .PermissionState
mscorlib	System.Security.Principal .WindowsAccountType
mscorlib	System.Diagnostics.Tracing .EventSourceCreatedEventArgs
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.Collection
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompareMethod
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.ComClassAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.ControlChars
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.DateAndTime
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.Information
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic .MyGroupCollectionAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.VariantType
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic .VBFixedArrayAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic .VBFixedStringAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.VBMath
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.FileSystem
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .DeleteDirectoryOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .RecycleOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .SearchOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .UICancelOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.UIOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .MalformedLineException
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .SpecialDirectories
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .TextFieldParser
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.FieldType
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .BooleanType
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .DecimalType
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .Versioned
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .DoubleType
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic .ApplicationServices.StartupEventArgs
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic .ApplicationServices .StartupNextInstanceEventArgs
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic .ApplicationServices .UnhandledExceptionEventArgs
Microsoft.VisualBasic	Microsoft.VisualBasic.Devices .NetworkAvailableEventArgs
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CallType
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.Collection
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompareMethod
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.ComClassAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.Constants
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.ControlChars
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.DateAndTime
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic .HideModuleNameAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.Information
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic .MyGroupCollectionAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.Strings
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.VariantType
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic .VBFixedArrayAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic .VBFixedStringAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.VBMath
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.FileSystem
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .DeleteDirectoryOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .RecycleOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .SearchOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .UICancelOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.UIOption
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .MalformedLineException
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .SpecialDirectories
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO .TextFieldParser
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.FieldType
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .BooleanType
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .Conversions
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .DecimalType
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .DesignerGeneratedAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .SiteDelegate0
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .SiteDelegate1
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .SiteDelegate2
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .SiteDelegate3
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .SiteDelegate4
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .SiteDelegate5
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .SiteDelegate6
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .SiteDelegate7
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .IncompleteInitialization
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .NewLateBinding
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .ObjectFlowControl
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .ObjectFlowControl+ForLoopControl
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .Operators
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .OptionCompareAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .OptionTextAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .ProjectData
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .StandardModuleAttribute
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .StaticLocalInitFlag
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .Utils
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .Versioned
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices .DoubleType
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic .ApplicationServices.StartupEventArgs
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic .ApplicationServices .StartupNextInstanceEventArgs
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic .ApplicationServices .UnhandledExceptionEventArgs
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Core	Microsoft.VisualBasic.Devices .NetworkAvailableEventArgs

Advanced Code Search : A Case Study

This morning I stumbled on a complex test to write. The need was to create and show a custom Form (written with Windows Form) that relies on the System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker to do initialization stuff without freezing the UI. The test is complex because after creating and showing the form, it must wait somehow to release the UI thread for a while to let the BackgroundWorker achieve the RunWorkerCompleted on the UI thread.

I know that this is something we’ve done in the past and I know this is tricky enough to not reinvent the wheel. But with a test suite of over 13.000 tests this is quite challenging to find where we did that. So I decided to use NDepend querying facility to search.

First I analyze all NDepend assemblies, test assemblies included. Then I generate a code query to match all classes that derive from Form. This can be done from the NDepend Search panel : search Form by name in third-party types and then use a right-click menu to generate the code query:

The CQLinq code query generated is:

from t in Types 
let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")
where depth0  >= 0 orderby depth0
select new { t, depth0 }

from t in Types

let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")

where depth0 >= 0 orderby depth0

select new { t, depth0 }

60 classes are matched:

Let’s refine this query to match all methods that create any of those form classes.This could be achieved by iterating over (all methods) x (all form classes), but the NDepend.API extension method ThatCreateAny() acts like a join and operates in a linear time. For our search scenario, waiting a few seconds to get a search result is not a problem. But for a code rule written with CQLinq, this is important to run it as fast as possible in a few milliseconds, to run all queries and rules often in Visual Studio within a few seconds, hence the query performance entry on the documentation.

let formTypes = 
  (from t in Types 
   let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")
   where depth0  >= 0
   select t)

from m in Application.Methods.ThatCreateAny(formTypes)
select m

let formTypes =

(from t in Types

let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")

where depth0 >= 0

select t)

from m in Application.Methods.ThatCreateAny(formTypes)

select m

280 methods are instantiating some form classes. Let’s refine the query to match only tests method. The cleanest way would be to check for the usage of TestAttribute, but here just checking for parent assemblies names that contain “Test” is enough:

let formTypes = 
  (from t in Types 
   let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")
   where depth0  >= 0
   select t)
from m in Application.Methods.ThatCreateAny(formTypes)
where m.ParentAssembly.Name.Contains("Test")
select m

let formTypes =

(from t in Types

let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")

where depth0 >= 0

select t)

from m in Application.Methods.ThatCreateAny(formTypes)

where m.ParentAssembly.Name.Contains("Test")

select m

Still 122 test methods matched.

Before filtering the result even more, let’s refine the query to display for each test the form class(es) it instantiates. This can be achieved with a LINQ range variable formsCreated that we use in the result:

let formTypes = 
  (from t in Types 
   let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")
   where depth0  >= 0
   select t)

from m in Application.Methods.ThatCreateAny(formTypes)
where m.ParentAssembly.Name.Contains("Test")
let formsCreated = formTypes.Where(t =>m.CreateA(t))
select new { m, formsCreated }

let formTypes =

(from t in Types

let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")

where depth0 >= 0

select t)

from m in Application.Methods.ThatCreateAny(formTypes)

where m.ParentAssembly.Name.Contains("Test")

let formsCreated = formTypes.Where(t =>m.CreateA(t))

select new { m, formsCreated }

We can now browse which form(s) are instantiated by each test:

Finally let’s browse only tests that use some asynchronous related code. Many ways can be used to check for asynchronous usages. The easiest way is certainly to look at methods called by a test method, and check which ones have named related to async stuff. I tried a few words like “Async” “Sync” “Thread” “TimeOut” “Wait”… and “Wait” worked:

let formTypes = 
  (from t in Types 
   let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")
   where depth0  >= 0
   select t)
from m in Application.Methods.ThatCreateAny(formTypes)
where m.ParentAssembly.Name.Contains("Test")
let formsCreated = formTypes.Where(t =>m.CreateA(t))
where m.MethodsCalled.Any(m1 => m1.SimpleName.Contains("Wait"))
select new { m, formsCreated }

let formTypes =

(from t in Types

let depth0 = t.DepthOfDeriveFrom("System.Windows.Forms.Form")

where depth0 >= 0

select t)

from m in Application.Methods.ThatCreateAny(formTypes)

where m.ParentAssembly.Name.Contains("Test")

let formsCreated = formTypes.Where(t =>m.CreateA(t))

where m.MethodsCalled.Any(m1 => m1.SimpleName.Contains("Wait"))

select new { m, formsCreated }

In the source code of the highlighted test I had everything I needed for my scenario, including a link to a tricky stackoverflow answer that we found years ago. I found what I needed within a few minutes and had a bit of fun. I hope the methodology and the resulting query can be adapted to your advanced search scenarios.

Service Oriented Architecture: A Dead Simple Explanation

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) has been with us for a long time. The term first appeared in 1998, and since then it’s grown in popularity. It’s also branched into several variants, including microservice architecture. While microservices dominate the landscape, reports of SOA’s death have been greatly exaggerated. So, let’s go over what SOA is. We’ll cover why it’s an architectural pattern that isn’t going anywhere. Then we’ll see how you can apply its design concepts to your work. Continue reading Service Oriented Architecture: A Dead Simple Explanation

C# Features: An Exhaustive List of the Best Ones

The first post I wrote for the NDepend blog was about C# 8.0 features. That post inspired a sequel, followed by the series’ final chapter. Those posts dealt with the future. Today’s post, on the other hand, is all about what’s already here. I’ll make a list of the C# features I consider to be some of the best ones. For brevity’s sake, I’ll do the briefest overview of each feature, though.

Also, be warned: I’m going to use “C# feature” loosely throughout this post. So you’ll see some items that are, technically, .NET frameworks features. The reason for this choice is that, for many developers, C# and .NET are interchangeable. That’s the way they think, talk, and google about this topic.

Without further ado, let’s dive into it.

Continue reading C# Features: An Exhaustive List of the Best Ones

REST_vs_RESTful_The_Different_and_Why_the_Difference_Doesn_t_Matter

REST vs. RESTful: The Difference and Why the Difference Doesn’t Matter

What’s the difference between a REST API and a RESTful one? Is there a difference? This sounds like the kind of academic question that belongs on Reddit. But then you find yourself in a design session, and the person across the table is raising their voice.

The short answer is that REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It’s an architectural pattern for creating web services. A RESTful service is one that implements that pattern.

The long answer starts with “sort of” and “it depends” and continues with more complete definitions.

Continue reading REST vs. RESTful: The Difference and Why the Difference Doesn’t Matter

Coupling in Programming: What This Means and How Not to Get Burned

What is coupling in programming? Is it something we want to avoid when we design and write code? If so, why? And more importantly, how? Let’s take a look at what coupling is and how it affects codebases.

Continue reading Coupling in Programming: What This Means and How Not to Get Burned

Mentoring Software Developers as an Architect

A while back we discussed the unique career path architects have to travel. We wrote that article for developers who want to advance their careers and aren’t sure which way to go. Let’s revisit that path and talk about how you, as a manager or architect, can help developers along the way.

Continue reading Mentoring Software Developers as an Architect

Self Documenting Code vs. Comments? Turns Out It’s Both or Neither

It’s been about a month since my last research post, and I’ve been musing about the next topic. What should it be? Well, I’ve decided. Since I love nothing more than throwing the gates wide for everyone’s internet anger, I thought I’d weigh in on the subject of self documenting code vs comments.

I’ll be awaiting your rage below, in the comments.

Continue reading Self Documenting Code vs. Comments? Turns Out It’s Both or Neither

Visual Studio Enterprise vs. Professional: Essential Differences

If you’re a .NET developer, then it’s overwhelmingly likely that you’re a Visual Studio user. There are alternatives to it, sure. But the product from the Redmond giant is the go-to when it comes to developing for the .NET framework.

For a newcomer, though, things can get confusing since Visual Studio isn’t a single thing.

Instead, it comes in several shapes and sizes.

Which one should you pick? What are the features that matter for your use case?

Since Visual Studio isn’t free—most editions aren’t, at least—you want to get the best bang for your buck.

That’s what this post is going to cover. As its title suggests, we’ll focus on the differences between the enterprise and professional editions of the integrated development environment (IDE).

By the end of the post, you’ll have learned enough to make an informed decision on which version of the IDE better suits your needs.

Wishing your edition of Visual Studio had full architecture tooling support?

Download a free trial of NDepend and check out all of the architecture visualization you can get without needing to upgrade your VS edition.

Let’s get started.

Continue reading Visual Studio Enterprise vs. Professional: Essential Differences

Domain-Driven Design Demystified

Domain-driven design, or DDD, is a software design methodology aimed at producing better software. Engineers achieve this by working closely with domain experts during the continuous design process.

Eric Evans created domain-driven design and wrote a book about the practice called Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software. His main points are to use models, use the language of the business, and follow specific technical patterns during development. Together, these steps will help you deal with complex software without painting yourself into a corner.

In this post, I’ll go further into demystifying domain-driven design. First, I’ll share a story about how I came to know the practice myself. Then I’ll get into some details about the modeling part of the process. Finally, I’ll do an overview of the technical bits of the craft.

Continue reading Domain-Driven Design Demystified