Hardcoded.NET 0.2.1

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Hardcoded.NET

Turn "hardcoding" into a performance feature.

Ironic, but accurate. Hardcoded.NET is a C# Source Generator that leverages Roslyn to convert SQL files and resources into mapped string constants at compile time. It gives you the maintainability of external files with the raw performance of const string literals.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• How It Works
• Examples
  • Basic Query
  • Mock Variables with @start
  • String formatting with numeric parameters

Features

• 🚀 Zero runtime overhead: Generates internal const string fields at compile time.
• 🛠️ Seamless IDE Integration: Write proper .sql files with full syntax highlighting and IntelliSense, but consume them as constants in C#.
• 📦 No dependencies: Works completely as a development dependency. It leaves no footprint in your final assemblies.
• 🪄 Auto-inclusion: Automatically recognizes .sql files in your project, no need to manually tag them as AdditionalFiles.

Installation

You can install the package via NuGet Package Manager or the .NET CLI:

dotnet add package Hardcoded.NET

How It Works

Hardcoded.NET scans your project for .sql files that start with the -- @hardcoded directive. It parses these files, looking for specific class and query annotations to generate a partial class containing your SQL statements as constants.

Directives

Examples

Basic Query

Create a file with the .sql extension in your project, for example Queries.sql:

-- @hardcoded
-- @namespace MyProject.Data
    
-- @class UserQueries
-- @query GetUserById
-- Retrieves a user from the database by their ID
SELECT [Id], [Username], [Email]
FROM [dbo].[Users]
WHERE [Id] = @Id

At compile time, Hardcoded.NET generates the following code:

namespace MyProject.Data;

internal static partial class UserQueries
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Retrieves a user from the database by their ID
    /// </summary>
    internal const string GetUserById = @"SELECT [Id], [Username], [Email]
FROM [dbo].[Users]
WHERE [Id] = @Id";
}

Now you can use this constant efficiently and securely with libraries like Dapper or EF Core:

using var connection = new SqlConnection("...");
var user = await connection.QueryFirstOrDefaultAsync<User>(UserQueries.GetUserById, new { Id = 123 });

Mock Variables with @start

Sometimes you want to test your SQL scripts directly in SSMS or Azure Data Studio without modifying them later for C#. You can declare local SQL variables at the top of your query for testing, and use -- @start to exclude them from the generated C# string.

-- @hardcoded
-- @namespace MyProject.Data
    
-- @class ProductQueries
-- @query GetActiveProducts
-- Retrieves products from the database by active status and category ID
DECLARE @IsActive BIT = 1;
DECLARE @CategoryId INT = 5;

-- @start

SELECT *
FROM [dbo].[Products]
WHERE [IsActive] = @IsActive AND [CategoryId] = @CategoryId

The generated C# string will start exactly from the -- @start marker:

namespace MyProject.Data;

internal static partial class ProductQueries
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Retrieves products from the database by active status and category ID
    /// </summary>
    internal const string GetActiveProducts = @"SELECT *
FROM [dbo].[Products]
WHERE [IsActive] = @IsActive AND [CategoryId] = @CategoryId";
}

String formatting with numeric parameters

For scenarios requiring dynamic logic within C#, you can use numeric parameters (e.g., @0, @1). These are automatically converted into curly-bracket placeholders ({0}, {1}) in the generated C# string, allowing you to use string.Format to inject values at runtime.

-- @hardcoded
-- @namespace MyProject.Data
    
-- @class ProductQueries
-- @query GetActiveProducts
SELECT *
FROM [dbo].[Products]
ORDER BY @0

Generated code:

namespace MyProject.Data;

internal static partial class ProductQueries
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Query from Queries.sql
    /// </summary>
    internal const string GetActiveProducts = @"SELECT *
FROM [dbo].[Products]
ORDER BY {0}";
}