Generate code automatically from templates. Simple, fast, and works on any project!

• ⚡ Super Fast - Small (~2MB) and instant startup
• 🔒 Safe - Never overwrites your existing files
• 🌍 Works Everywhere - Windows, Linux, macOS (no installation needed)
• 📝 Any Language - Works with C#, TypeScript, Python, Go, anything!
• 🎨 Smart Variables - Auto-converts names (UserProfile → userProfile → user-profile)

Go to Releases and download the latest version:

• Windows: codegen-win-x64.zip or codegen-win-arm64.zip
• Linux: codegen-linux-x64.tar.gz or codegen-linux-arm64.tar.gz
• macOS: codegen-osx-x64.tar.gz or codegen-osx-arm64.tar.gz

💡 Can't find downloads? Check all releases here

Use codegen from anywhere on your system.

macOS/Linux:

tar -xzf codegen-*.tar.gz
sudo mv codegen /usr/local/bin/codegen

# Now use from any directory
cd ~/my-project
codegen User

Windows:

# Extract zip, then move to a permanent location like:
move codegen.exe C:\bin\codegen.exe

# Add C:\bin to your PATH environment variable
# Then use from any directory:
cd C:\my-project
codegen User

Keep CodeGen in your project directory.

macOS/Linux:

tar -xzf codegen-*.tar.gz
mv codegen my-project/codegen

# Use with relative path
cd my-project
./codegen User

Windows:

# Extract and move to project
move codegen.exe my-project\codegen.exe

# Use with relative path
cd my-project
codegen.exe User

In your project, create templates/model.template.txt:

// META: output=Models/{{EntityName}}.cs

public class {{EntityName}}
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

# If installed globally:
codegen User

# If using locally:
./codegen User        # macOS/Linux
codegen.exe User      # Windows

✅ File generated: Models/User.cs

That's it! CodeGen created Models/User.cs with your template.

Templates are text files with special comments that tell CodeGen where to save the generated file:

// META: output=path/to/{{EntityName}}.cs
// META: tags=entity, model

// Your code here with {{EntityName}} variable
public class {{EntityName}} { }

Add metadata at the top of your template files:

// META: output=Models/{{EntityName}}.cs
// META: description=Domain entity class
// META: tags=entity, model, domain

Available Metadata:

• output (required) - Path where the generated file will be saved
• description (optional) - Description of what the template generates
• tags (optional) - Comma-separated tags for filtering templates

When you run codegen UserProfile, these variables are replaced:

# Global installation
codegen User
codegen Product
codegen Order

# Local installation
./codegen User        # macOS/Linux
codegen.exe User      # Windows

Generate only templates with specific tags:

# Generate only model (with "model" tag)
codegen --entity User --tags model

# Short form
codegen -e User -g model

# Multiple tags (generates templates with ANY of these tags)
codegen -e Product -g entity,service,controller

# Legacy format also works
codegen User templates model

How Tags Work:

• If you don't specify tags, ALL templates are generated
• If you specify tags, only templates with at least ONE matching tag are generated
• Templates can have multiple tags: // META: tags=entity, model, domain

Example:

// Template 1: model.template.cs
// META: tags=entity, model

// Template 2: service.template.cs  
// META: tags=entity, service

// Template 3: controller.template.cs
// META: tags=entity, controller, api

codegen -e User -g model         # Generates only template 1
codegen -e User -g service       # Generates only template 2
codegen -e User -g entity        # Generates all 3 (all have "entity")
codegen -e User                  # Generates all 3 (no filter)

# Named arguments
codegen --entity User --templates my-templates
codegen -e User -t my-templates

# Legacy format
codegen User my-templates

# macOS/Linux
for entity in User Product Order; do
  codegen $entity
done

# Windows (PowerShell)
foreach ($entity in "User","Product","Order") {
  codegen $entity
}

project/
├── templates-api/     # REST API templates
├── templates-domain/  # Domain models
└── templates-tests/   # Unit tests

codegen User templates-api
codegen Product templates-domain
codegen Order templates-tests

# Named arguments (recommended)
codegen --entity <name> [--templates <path>] [--tags <tags>]
codegen -e <name> [-t <path>] [-g <tags>]

# Legacy format (still supported)
codegen <EntityName> [TemplatesFolder] [Tags]

# Basic usage
codegen --entity Product
codegen -e User

# Custom templates folder
codegen --entity Order --templates my-templates
codegen -e Customer -t ./api-templates

# Filter by tags
codegen --entity Invoice --tags entity
codegen -e Product -g model,service

# Combine all options
codegen -e Order -t templates -g entity,controller,service

# Legacy format (still works)
codegen Product
codegen User templates
codegen Order templates entity,service

Global (Recommended for personal use):

• ✅ Use codegen from anywhere
• ✅ Simpler commands
• ❌ Team members need to install it

Local (Recommended for teams):

• ✅ Commit to version control
• ✅ Everyone has the same version
• ✅ Works in CI/CD pipelines
• ❌ Need to use ./codegen or full path

No! CodeGen never overwrites existing files. It's safe to run multiple times.

Any! CodeGen works with templates, so you can generate C#, TypeScript, Python, Go, or any other language.

No! The standalone executable includes everything needed.

Yes! Just run codegen EntityName my-folder

• .NET 9.0 SDK (for building from source)

./build-standalone.sh    # macOS/Linux
build-standalone.bat     # Windows

dotnet test

• 📫 Report bugs or request features
• � Download latest version
• �💡 Check the templates folder for examples
• ⭐ Star this repo if you find it useful!

MIT License - feel free to use in your projects!

Made with ❤️ using .NET 9.0