Architecture Overview

Solution Structure

The Nextended solution is organized into multiple specialized libraries, each with a specific focus area. This modular architecture allows you to include only the packages you need in your projects.

Dependency Graph 

Nextended.Core (Foundation)
    ├── Nextended.Cache
    ├── Nextended.EF
    ├── Nextended.Blazor
    ├── Nextended.Web
    │   └── Nextended.EF
    ├── Nextended.Imaging
    │   └── Nextended.Cache
    └── Nextended.UI

Nextended.CodeGen (Independent - Code Generator)
Nextended.AutoDto (Independent - DTO Generator)
Nextended.Aspire (Independent - Aspire Extensions)

Core Architecture Principles

1. Extension-Based Design

Most functionality is provided through extension methods, making the API discoverable and easy to use:

// Extensions naturally extend existing types
string result = myString.ToCamelCase();
var mapped = sourceObject.MapTo<TargetType>();

2. Minimal Dependencies

Each package maintains minimal external dependencies to reduce conflicts and keep package sizes small. Most packages only depend on:

  • Nextended.Core (for shared utilities)
  • Framework-specific packages (e.g., Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore for Nextended.EF)

3. Multi-Targeting

Most libraries support multiple .NET versions for maximum compatibility:

  • .NET Standard 2.0 and 2.1 (for broad compatibility)
  • .NET 8.0 (for modern features)
  • .NET 9.0 (for latest capabilities)

4. Compile-Time Code Generation

Code generation packages (CodeGen, AutoDto) use Roslyn source generators for:

  • Zero runtime overhead
  • Full IntelliSense support
  • Type-safe generated code
  • Build-time validation

Package Responsibilities

Nextended.Core

Purpose: Foundation library providing core functionality used across all other packages.

Key Components:

  • Extension methods (String, DateTime, Collections, Type, Object, Task, etc.)
  • Custom types (Money, Date, BaseId, SuperType, Range)
  • Object mapping and cloning
  • Serialization helpers
  • Validation utilities
  • Reflection helpers

Target Audience: All .NET developers needing enhanced base functionality.

Nextended.Cache

Purpose: Simplified caching abstractions and utilities.

Key Components:

  • CacheProvider - Unified caching interface
  • Extension methods for IMemoryCache and MemoryCache
  • Caching helpers with automatic expiration

Dependencies: Nextended.Core, Microsoft caching abstractions

Nextended.EF

Purpose: Entity Framework Core extensions and utilities.

Key Components:

  • AlternateQueryMatchExtensions - Advanced query matching
  • DbSetExtensions - Enhanced DbSet operations
  • Query optimization helpers

Dependencies: Nextended.Core, Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore

Nextended.Blazor

Purpose: Blazor-specific helpers and extensions.

Key Components:

  • Blazor component helpers
  • JavaScript interop utilities
  • Localization helpers
  • Navigation extensions

Dependencies: Nextended.Core, Blazor framework packages

Nextended.Web

Purpose: ASP.NET Core and web application utilities.

Key Components:

  • Controller extensions
  • HTTP helpers
  • OData utilities
  • Web-specific extensions

Dependencies: Nextended.Core, Nextended.EF, ASP.NET Core packages

Nextended.UI

Purpose: WPF and Windows Forms utilities.

Key Components:

  • ViewUtility - UI helpers
  • WPF behaviors
  • Theming support
  • ViewModel base classes

Dependencies: Nextended.Core, WPF/WinForms frameworks Platform: Windows only (net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows)

Nextended.Imaging

Purpose: Image processing and manipulation utilities.

Key Components:

  • ImageHelper - Comprehensive image operations
  • ImageSize - Image dimension handling
  • Image format conversions
  • Caching support for processed images

Dependencies: Nextended.Core, Nextended.Cache, System.Drawing.Common

Nextended.CodeGen

Purpose: Compile-time source code generation from various sources.

Key Components:

  • DTO generation from classes with attributes
  • Class generation from JSON/XML structures
  • Excel-to-class generation
  • Configurable via JSON configuration file

Type: Roslyn Source Generator Dependencies: Roslyn APIs

Nextended.AutoDto

Purpose: Automatic DTO generation utilities.

Key Components:

  • DTO generation infrastructure
  • Attribute-based configuration

Type: Source Generator Support Dependencies: Roslyn APIs

Nextended.Aspire

Purpose: .NET Aspire distributed application extensions.

Key Components:

  • Conditional dependency configuration
  • Environment variable helpers
  • Docker management utilities
  • Endpoint configuration extensions

Dependencies: .NET Aspire hosting packages

Design Patterns

Extension Methods Pattern

Used throughout for discoverability and ease of use:

public static class StringExtensions
{
    public static string ToCamelCase(this string value) 
    { 
        // Implementation
    }
}

Builder Pattern

Used in mapping configuration:

var settings = ClassMappingSettings.Default
    .IgnoreProperties<Source>(s => s.Field1)
    .WithConverter<DateTime, string>(dt => dt.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd"));

Provider Pattern

Used in caching and other infrastructure:

public class CacheProvider : ICacheProvider
{
    // Unified caching interface
}

Source Generator Pattern

Used in code generation packages:

[Generator]
public class DtoGenerator : ISourceGenerator
{
    // Compile-time code generation
}

Threading and Async Support

  • Extension methods for Task and Task<T> for async operations
  • Thread-safe implementations where applicable
  • PausableCancellationTokenSource for pausable async operations

Serialization Support

  • JSON serialization (Newtonsoft.Json)
  • XML serialization
  • YAML serialization (YamlDotNet)
  • Custom serialization helpers

Platform Considerations

Cross-Platform Packages

Most packages target .NET Standard 2.0/2.1 for maximum compatibility across:

  • .NET Core/.NET 5+
  • .NET Framework 4.6.1+
  • Xamarin
  • Unity

Windows-Only Packages

  • Nextended.UI: Requires Windows for WPF/WinForms support

Web-Specific Packages

  • Nextended.Blazor: Browser platform support
  • Nextended.Web: ASP.NET Core environment
  • Nextended.Aspire: Distributed application hosting

Performance Considerations

  1. Caching: Extensive use of caching for expensive operations (reflection, type conversion)
  2. Lazy Evaluation: Deferred execution where appropriate
  3. Memory Efficiency: Careful memory management in imaging and large data operations
  4. Zero-Cost Abstractions: Source generators produce optimal code without runtime overhead

Versioning Strategy

All packages share a common version number for consistency. The version follows:

  • Major.Minor.Patch format
  • Aligned with .NET version support (e.g., 9.0.x for .NET 9 support)
  • Backward compatibility maintained within major versions