Joche Ojeda
Back to the Future of Dev Tools: DevExpress CLI templates
Technology, like fashion, moves in cycles. Just as bell-bottoms and vinyl records make their comebacks, we’re witnessing a fascinating return to command-line interfaces in software development. While the industry once raced towards graphical interfaces, developers are now embracing CLI tools with renewed enthusiasm. This shift is particularly evident in modern application templates, where DevExpress and others are creating cross-platform solutions that blend the best of both worlds. Through the lens of project templates and development tools, we explore how technology’s future often leads us back to its past.
The Dark Magic of Dynamic Assemblies: A Tale of .NET Emit
Explore the arcane world of runtime code generation in .NET through the lens of a real-world challenge. Journey back to the early 2000s when a seemingly simple task of parsing ERP documentation led to the discovery of Emit – one of .NET’s most powerful and mysterious features. Learn how this fundamental building block of dynamic assembly generation can be both a powerful ally and a dangerous tool in your development arsenal. From legacy system integration to modern alternatives like Source Generators, discover why understanding Emit remains crucial for developers who dare to venture beyond the conventional boundaries of .NET programming.
The Dark Arts of Self-Writing Code: A Journey from DOS to .NET Sorcery
In “The Dark Arts of Self-Writing Code: A Journey from DOS to .NET Sorcery,” the author recounts an inspiring journey from childhood fascination with MS-DOS commands to mastering metaprogramming in .NET. The narrative begins with humble experiments in AUTOEXEC.BAT scripts and evolves through explorations of languages like Turbo Pascal, C++, and C#. The author shares transformative moments, such as learning reflection—a form of “code magic” that enables runtime introspection and modification. Along the way, practical lessons are imparted: cache operations, guard sensitive data, and balance performance costs. Ultimately, the tale emphasizes the power of curiosity and continuous learning in programming mastery.
The Dark Magic of .NET: Exploring Harmony Library in 2025
Explore the dark magic of .NET with Harmony, a powerful library that transforms runtime method patching in C# applications. At Xari, where we tackle everything from LOB applications to AI systems, Harmony has become an invaluable tool in our development arsenal. This sophisticated library offers three powerful approaches to code modification: Prefix patches for pre-execution intervention, Postfix patches for result manipulation, and Transpilers for direct IL code modification. While it might seem like dark magic, Harmony is really about understanding and leveraging .NET’s architecture to achieve what seems impossible, from performance monitoring to legacy system enhancement.
The AnyCPU Illusion: Native Dependencies in .NET Applications
This article explores the limitations of the AnyCPU configuration in .NET applications, particularly when dealing with native dependencies. The author shares a personal story about a realization during a trip, highlighting the challenges of running x64 applications on ARM-based systems like Apple Silicon. The narrative transitions into technical insights about native DLL loading requirements and architecture-specific considerations. It emphasizes the importance of native driver compatibility for ORMs like Entity Framework Core and DevExpress XPO. Solutions such as architecture-specific deployments and managed fallbacks are proposed, making it clear that AnyCPU is not a universal solution for cross-platform development.
Exploring .NET 9’s Sequential GUIDs: A Game-Changer for XAF/XPO Developers
Exploring .NET 9’s latest features reveals an exciting addition for XAF/XPO developers: Version 7 GUIDs (RFC 9562 specification). This new implementation solves a common challenge with traditional GUIDs – their non-sequential nature. Through practical experience with the SyncFramework, where Delta processing order proved problematic due to unpredictable GUID sorting, the need for sortable identifiers became evident. .NET 9’s CreateVersion7() method now generates sequential GUIDs, eliminating the need for custom sequence services. This feature significantly simplifies scenarios requiring reliable ordering, making it a valuable tool for developers working with distributed systems and synchronization frameworks.