EndpointHelpers 2.0.0

EndpointHelpers

EndpointHelpers is a Roslyn source generator that creates strongly-typed helpers for ASP.NET Core MVC controllers. It generates:

• IUrlHelper helpers with action methods per controller.
• LinkGenerator helpers with Get{Action}Path methods, including HttpContext overloads.
• Redirect helpers for controller actions, so RedirectToAction("Index") becomes RedirectToIndex().
• View helpers on controllers, so return View("Index") becomes return IndexView().
• Extension properties on IUrlHelper and LinkGenerator to access the helpers.
• Attribute types are used to control generation.

This package ships only a source generator and generated code. There is no runtime dependency.

Example

Without the generator

<a href='@Url.Action(action: "Details",controller: "Orders", values: new { orderId = 123, source = "dashboard" } )'>
    View order
</a>

With the generator enabled

<a href='@Url.Orders.Details(123, "dashboard")'>
    View order
</a>

Install

Add the NuGet package:

<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="EndpointHelpers" Version="1.0.5"/>
</ItemGroup>

or

dotnet add package EndpointHelpers

Optional (for better IntelliSense in JetBrains IDEs):

<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="JetBrains.Annotations" Version="2025.2.4" />
</ItemGroup>

When JetBrains.Annotations is installed, generated MVC helper methods include ASP MVC annotations, and IntelliSense/navigation for views and model parameters works correctly when using R# or Rider.

Quick Start

Enable generation at the assembly level:

using EndpointHelpers;

[assembly: GenerateUrlHelper]
[assembly: GenerateLinkGenerator]

Or apply to a specific controller:

using EndpointHelpers;

[GenerateUrlHelper]
[GenerateLinkGenerator]
[GenerateRedirectToAction]
[GenerateViewHelpers]
public partial class HomeController : Controller
{
    public IActionResult Index() => View();
    public IActionResult Privacy() => View();
}

Or only to a specific action:

using EndpointHelpers;

public partial class HomeController : Controller
{
    [GenerateUrlHelper]
    [GenerateRedirectToAction]
    public IActionResult Index() => View();
    public IActionResult Privacy() => View();
}

Redirect example:

public partial class OrdersController : Controller
{
    public IActionResult Index() => View();
    
    [GenerateRedirectToAction]
    public IActionResult Details(int orderId, string? source) => View();

    public IActionResult Save()
    {
        return RedirectToDetails(orderId: 123, source: "created");
    }
}

Attributes and Scope

Generation can be enabled at different scopes:

• Assembly: [assembly: GenerateUrlHelper], [assembly: GenerateLinkGenerator].
• Controller: [GenerateUrlHelper], [GenerateLinkGenerator], [GenerateRedirectToAction] on the controller class.
• Action: [GenerateUrlHelper], [GenerateLinkGenerator], [GenerateRedirectToAction] on a specific action method.
• View helpers: [GenerateViewHelpers] on the controller class (controller-only, not per-action or assembly).
• GenerateRedirectToAction does not support assembly-level attributes and requires controllers declared partial.
• GenerateViewHelpers does not support assembly-level attributes and requires controllers declared partial.

You can exclude methods using:

• [UrlHelperIgnore]
• [LinkGeneratorIgnore]
• [RedirectToActionIgnore]
• [NonAction] (standard ASP.NET Core MVC attribute)

Behavior

• Controllers are discovered by name: non-abstract classes ending with Controller.
• Only public, ordinary methods are included.
• UrlHelper and LinkGenerator helpers are placed in the EndpointHelpers namespace.
• Redirect helpers are generated as partial members in the controller namespace.
• Extension properties use the controller name without the Controller suffix.
• Controllers with [Area("...")] are grouped by area, so generated access becomes Url.<Area>.<Controller> and Links.<Area>.<Controller>.

Controller and action discovery

[GenerateUrlHelper]
[GenerateLinkGenerator]
[GenerateRedirectToAction]
public partial class OrdersController : Controller
{
    public IActionResult Index() => View();
    
    public IActionResult Details(int orderId, string? source) => View();
}

Generated surface

// UrlHelperGenerator

Url.Orders.Index();
Url.Orders.Details(orderId: 123, source: "dashboard");
Url.Admin.Users.Index();

// LinkGeneratorGenerator

LinkGenerator.Orders.GetIndexPath();
LinkGenerator.Orders.GetDetailsPath(123, "dashboard");
LinkGenerator.Admin.Users.GetIndexPath();

// RedirectToActionGenerator

RedirectToIndex();
RedirectToDetails(orderId: 123, source: "dashboard");
RedirectToUsers();

Example Project

See example/EndpointHelpers.Sample for a minimal MVC app using all generators.

License

GNU General Public License