Read file compilation time in C #

Question

I am writing some unit tests in which I need a fake XML file. I can create this file and require it to be deployed with unit tests, but experience shows that I have a lot of headache in my office. Therefore, I decided that the file would be created by UT.

StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(testFileName); sw.Write(contents); sw.Close(); 

Now the problem is the content bar. This is almost a long xml, something like this:

 string contents = @"<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1251"?> <blah> ~100 lines here </blah> "; 

I do not want this to be in the same file as the rest of the code. I want the string to be generated at compile time from a file.

In C ++, I would do this

 string contents = " #include "test.xml" "; 

Is this possible somehow in C #?

Answer 1

Why don't you include it in the resource?

Answer 2

Use resources (resx file) and add xml file. Then you can access using MyNs.MyResources.MyXmlFile.

Answer 3

I usually add such test files directly to the C # unit test project and set them as “Content” and “Copy if newer” to copy to the bin directory at compile time.

Answer 4

If the content is static, why can't you pass it to the original control? Add it to your project, and then it will always be exactly where you expect it.

Answer 5

You can follow the path of the resource file, but depending on how many resources / how large they are (and the XML can be large), you may run into compilation problems (I did).

Since then, I have moved from resources to singles. Reading a text file using File.ReadAllText is pretty simple and still compatible with IntelliSense.

Answer 6

You can do this with the T4 template. What you need is 3 things

• Create your template file that will generate your .cs code
• Include your text file (or * .sql file) in the same project as your template file
• Customize your template to re-create your t4 template for each assembly

Something like this for your template.tt file

 <#@ template debug="true" hostSpecific="true" #> <#@ output extension=".cs" #> <#@ Assembly Name="System.Core" #> <#@ Assembly Name="System.Windows.Forms" #> <#@ import namespace="System" #> <#@ import namespace="System.IO" #> <# string TextFromFile = File.ReadAllText(Host.ResolvePath("my_file_next_to_my_template.txt")); #> // This is the output code from your template namespace MyNameSpace { class MyGeneratedClass { static void main (string[] args) { System.Console.WriteLine("<#= TextFromFile #>"); } } } 

If you do not want your template to be recreated on the assembly, just open it and save it to do the trick.