README.md

FluentAttributes

An attribute library for .NET that uses a fluent interface for applying attributes to classes, structs, properties, etc.

Aim

FluentAttributes separates attribute metadata from implementation, enabling:

• Decoupled Metadata: Manage attributes in configuration classes.
• Flexibility: Change, add, or remove attributes without touching the original implementation.
• Cleaner Code: Limit the amount of attributes in original implementation.

Get Started

1. Create a Configuration Create a class that derives from ITypeAttributeMapConfiguration with the generic set to the Type you want to map attributes to.

public class ExampleAttributeMapConfiguration : ITypeAttributeMapConfiguration<Example>
{
    public void Configure(TypeAttributeMapBuilder<Example> builder)
    {
        // Type-level attribute
        builder.WithAttribute(new DataContractAttribute());

        // Property-level attribute
        builder
            .Property(x => x.ExampleProperty)
            .WithAttribute(new DataMemberAttribute { Name = "example_property" });

        // Field-level attribute
        builder
            .Field(x => x.ExampleField)
            .WithAttribute(new DataMemberAttribute { Name = "example_field" });
    }
}

2. Build a Container: Add your configuration to a TypeMapAttributeContainer.

// Applying a single configuration
TypeAttributeMapContainerBuilder container = new()
    .ApplyConfiguration(new ExampleAttributeMapConfiguration())
    .Build();

// — or —

// Scanning all configurations in an assembly
TypeAttributeMapContainerBuilder container = new()
    .ApplyConfigurationsFromAssembly(typeof(TypeAttributeMapContainerBuilder).Assembly)
    .Build();

3. Retrieve mapped attributes Attributes can then be retrieved by calling 'GetAttribute()':

// Get the attribute map for 'Example'
TypeAttributeMap<Example> exampleMap = container.GetAttributeMap<Example>();

// Retrieve the DataContractAttribute on the type
DataContractAttribute typeAttribute = exampleMap.GetAttribute<DataContractAttribute>();

// Retrieve the DataMemberAttribute on the property
DataMemberAttribute propAttribute = exampleMap
    .Get(x => x.ExampleProperty)
    .GetAttribute<DataMemberAttribute>();

// Retrieve the DataMemberAttribute on the field
DataMemberAttribute fieldAttribute = exampleMap
    .Get(x => x.ExampleField)
    .GetAttribute<DataMemberAttribute>();