EnumerablePrinter 1.1.3

EnumerablePrinter

A lightweight, reflection-aware formatter for debugging .NET objects, collections, and dictionaries.

EnumerablePrinter is intentionally focused on one job: printing data in a clear, predictable, human-readable format for console output, logging, and quick inspection during development. It does not try to duplicate features already provided by the .NET framework.

Why this project exists

The library was deliberately narrowed to a single purpose:

• print common .NET values clearly
• render nested structures recursively
• show object properties in a debug-friendly way
• keep output readable and consistent
• avoid re-implementing framework features that already exist elsewhere

This makes the library easier to understand, easier to maintain, and better aligned with real debugging workflows.

Features

• pretty-prints arrays, lists, sets, and other IEnumerable values
• prints IDictionary entries as key/value output
• reflects public instance properties for complex objects
• handles string, byte[], and IEnumerable<char> gracefully
• prevents circular-reference recursion from causing runaway output
• supports console output or any TextWriter
• keeps the public API intentionally small and focused

Installation

dotnet add package EnumerablePrinter

Basic usage

using EnumerablePrinter.Extensions;

var numbers = new[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 };
numbers.Print();
// [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

var person = new { Name = "Wayne", Age = 42 };
person.Print();
// {Name: "Wayne", Age: 42}

var metadata = new Dictionary<string, int>
{
    ["One"] = 1,
    ["Two"] = 2
};
metadata.Print();
// {"One": 1, "Two": 2}

Explicit console output

new[] { 1, 2, 3 }.PrintToConsole();

This follows the same formatting path as Print(), but makes the console intent explicit.

Output conventions

The formatter uses a consistent debug-printing style:

• collections render as [ ... ]
• dictionaries render as { "key": value }
• object properties render as PropertyName: value
• strings are quoted
• null renders as null
• circular references render as <Circular Reference>

Repository workflow

The project is organized around a clean release and publish split:

• release scripts handle versioning and git tagging
• deploy scripts handle build, test, packaging, and NuGet publishing

See the script guide in scripts/README.md for the full flow and dry-run usage.

Final project direction

The current design intentionally avoids adding collection helpers or framework duplicates. The library remains focused on the single, practical task it does well: iterating over values and printing them in a clear, debug-friendly form.

License

MIT

Links

• NuGet: EnumerablePrinter on NuGet
• Repository: EnumerablePrinter on GitHub