Bcss.ToStringGenerator.Attributes 1.0.0

ToStringGenerator

A C# source generator that automatically creates customizable ToString() implementations for your classes, with built-in support for sensitive data handling.

Features

• 🚀 Automatic ToString() generation using source generators
• 🔒 Built-in support for masking sensitive data
• 📦 Works with any type including collections, dictionaries, and nullable types
• 🎯 Zero runtime overhead—all code is generated at compile time
• ✨ Clean and readable output format

Installation

Add the NuGet package to your project:

dotnet add package Bcss.ToStringGenerator

Usage

Basic Usage

1. Add the [GenerateToString] attribute to your class
2. Make your class partial
3. The source generator will automatically create a ToString() implementation at compile-time.

using Bcss.ToStringGenerator.Attributes;

[GenerateToString]
public partial class User
{
    public string Username { get; set; }

    public List<string> Addresses { get; set; } = [];
    
    public Dictionary<string, string> Preferences {get; set; } = [];
}

Example Output

var user = new User
{
    Username = "john.doe",
    Addresses = ["123 Main St, Apt 4B, New York, NY 10001"],
    Preferences = new Dictionary<string, string>
    {
        {"Color", "Blue"}, {"Font", "Arial"}
    }
};
Console.WriteLine(user.ToString()); // ToString() method automatically generated at compile time

// Output:
[User: Username = john.doe, Addresses = [123 Main St, Apt 4B, New York, NY 10001], Preferences = [{Color = Blue}, {Font = Arial}]

Handling Sensitive Data

Use the [SensitiveData] attribute to mask sensitive information:

[GenerateToString]
public partial class User
{
    public string Username { get; set; }

    [SensitiveData] // Masks sensitive data - default value is '[REDACTED]'
    public string Password { get; set; }

    [SensitiveData("***")] // Custom masking values supported
    public string CreditCardNumber { get; set; }
    
    public List<string> Addresses { get; set; } = [];
    
    public Dictionary<string, string> Preferences {get; set; } = [];
}

Example Output

var user = new User
{
    Username = "john.doe",
    Password = "MySecretPassword",
    CreditCardNumber = "WouldntYouLikeToKnow",
    Addresses = ["123 Main St, Apt 4B, New York, NY 10001"],
    Preferences = new Dictionary<string, string>
    {
        {"Color", "Blue"}, {"Font", "Arial"}
    }
};  // Using the example class above
Console.WriteLine(user.ToString());

// Output:
// [User: Username = john.doe, Password = [REDACTED], CreditCardNumber = ***, Addresses = [123 Main St, Apt 4B, New York, NY 10001], Preferences = [{Color = Blue}, {Font = Arial}]

You can also override the default value globally using the ToStringGeneratorRedactedValue msbuild property:

<ToStringGeneratorRedactedValue>[MyNewRedactionValue]</ToStringGeneratorRedactedValue>

Whenever a masking value is not provided to SensitiveData, this property's value will be used instead.

Attributes

The GenerateToString and SensitiveData attributes are injected into your project by the source generator by default. This works fine for most use cases. However, in certain situations (notably when using [InternalsVisibleTo]), the compiler may end up with namespace collisions when generating these attributes across multiple projects in a single solution.

If you run into issues such as this, the required attributes are available to you to be referenced explicitly via the Bcss.ToStringGenerator.Attributes package.

dotnet add package Bcss.ToStringGenerator.Attributes

If you add an explicit reference to the Attributes package, you MUST also disable the automatic attribute generation within the source generator. To do so, set the following msbuild constant:

<DefineConstants>GENERATE_TO_STRING_EXCLUDE_GENERATED_ATTRIBUTES</DefineConstants>

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE.md