Archive for January, 2012

The CCI Metadata API allows applications to efficiently analyze or modify .NET assemblies, modules, and debugging (PDB) files. CCI Metadata supports the functionality of the .NET System.Reflection and System.Reflection.Emit APIs, but with much better performance. It also provides additional functionality that is not available in either .NET API. CCI Metadata is available on codeplex at http://ccimetadata.codeplex.com.

Using the CCI Metadata API, you can produce and analyze the code of an assembly (exe or dll). You have also access to the generated MSIL code. Here is the original source code of a simple class :

namespace ConsoleApp
{
    public class Logger
    {
        public void LogDebug(string message)
        {
            string mode = "Debug";
            DateTime dt = DateTime.Now;
            string date = String.Format("{0}", dt.ToString());
            Console.WriteLine("{0} - {1} - {2}", mode, date, message);
        }
    }
}

Here the output of CCI Metadata API simple usage :

namespace ConsoleApp
{
    public class Logger
    {
        public void LogDebug(string message)
        {
            {
                string mode = "Debug";
                System.DateTime dt = System.DateTime.Now.get();
                string date = string.Format("{0}", dt.ToString());
                System.Console.WriteLine("{0} - {1} - {2}", mode, date, message);
                return;

            }

            IL_0000 ... IL_0034 {
                string mode
                System.DateTime dt
                string date
            }

            Logger.cs(19:9)-(19:10): {
            IL_0000: Nop

            Logger.cs(20:13)-(20:35): string mode = "Debug";
            IL_0001: Ldstr "Debug"
            IL_0006: Stloc_0 mode

            Logger.cs(21:13)-(21:40): DateTime dt = DateTime.Now;
            IL_0007: Call System.DateTime System.DateTime.Now.get()
            IL_000c: Stloc_1 dt

            Logger.cs(22:13)-(22:63): string date = String.Format("{0}", dt.ToString());
            IL_000d: Ldstr "{0}"
            IL_0012: Ldloca_S dt
            IL_0014: Constrained_ System.DateTime
            IL_001a: Callvirt System.String System.Object.ToString()
            IL_001f: Call System.String System.String.Format(System.String, System.Object)
            IL_0024: Stloc_2 date

            Logger.cs(23:13)-(23:71): Console.WriteLine("{0} - {1} - {2}", mode, date, message);
            IL_0025: Ldstr "{0} - {1} - {2}"
            IL_002a: Ldloc_0 mode
            IL_002b: Ldloc_2 date
            IL_002c: Ldarg_1 message
            IL_002d: Call System.Void System.Console.WriteLine(System.String, System.Object, System.Object, System.Object)
            IL_0032: Nop

            Logger.cs(24:9)-(24:10): }
            IL_0033: Ret
        }

        public Logger()
        {
            {
                this.object();
                return;

            }

            IL_0000: Ldarg_0
            IL_0001: Call System.Void System.Object..ctor()
            IL_0006: Ret
        }
    }
}