T4Editor

A powerful Visual Studio extension for enhanced T4 template editing

Build Status	Downloads

T4Editor brings professional-grade syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and advanced editing features to T4 (Text Template Transformation Toolkit) files in Visual Studio. Whether you're working with code generation, automated documentation, or template-based development, T4Editor transforms your T4 editing experience.

Key Features

Advanced Syntax Highlighting

• Smart T4 Block Recognition: Distinct colors for all T4 block types

• Control Blocks (<#...#>) - For C# statements and control flow

• Class Feature Blocks (<#+...#>) - For methods, properties, and class-level features

• Expression Blocks (<#=...#>) - For value output expressions

• Directive Blocks (<#@...#>) - For template directives and imports

• Output Blocks - Static text content outside T4 tags

• T4 Tags - The delimiters themselves (<#, #>, etc.)

Intelligent IntelliSense

• Context-Aware Code Completion: Smart suggestions for T4 syntax elements
• Predefined T4 Constructs: Quick insertion of common patterns
  • Control block templates
  • Class feature block scaffolding
  • Expression block helpers
  • Import and include directive snippets

Advanced Editor Features

• Smart Brace Matching: Highlights matching braces, brackets, parentheses, and quotes
• Code Outlining: Collapsible regions for T4 blocks to manage large templates
• Block Navigation: Easily navigate between related T4 constructs
• Error Detection: Identifies unclosed T4 blocks and syntax issues

Visual Studio Integration

• Theme Awareness: Automatically adapts to Visual Studio's light and dark themes
• Customizable Colors: Full control over syntax highlighting colors
• Settings Panel: Easy-to-use configuration interface
• File Support: Works with .tt, .t4, and .ttinclude files

High Performance

• Token-Based Parsing: Modern linear parsing approach replaces complex RegEx patterns
• Optimized for Large Files: Efficient parsing for templates over 50KB with minimal performance impact
• Smart Caching: Intelligent result caching for improved responsiveness
• Incremental Processing: Only processes visible areas in large files
• Error-Tolerant: Gracefully handles malformed content without UI freezing
• Future-Ready: Designed to support C# language features within T4 blocks

Installation

Visual Studio Marketplace

1. Open Visual Studio
2. Go to Extensions -> Manage Extensions
3. Search for "T4Editor"
4. Click Download and restart Visual Studio

Supported Versions

Visual Studio Edition	Version Support
Community	2019 (16.0+), 2022 (17.0+)
Professional	2019 (16.0+), 2022 (17.0+)
Enterprise	2019 (16.0+), 2022 (17.0+)

Supported File Types

• .tt - T4 Text Templates
• .t4 - T4 Templates (alternative extension)
• .ttinclude - T4 Include Files

Configuration

Accessing Settings

• Method 1: Go to Tools -> T4Editor Settings
• Method 2: Right-click in a T4 file -> T4Editor Settings

Customization Options

• Syntax Colors: Customize colors for each T4 block type
• Theme Integration: Automatic theme detection and color adjustment
• Performance Settings: Adjust parsing thresholds for large files
• Parser Selection: Choose between token-based and legacy parsing (advanced users)

IntelliSense in Action

When you type <#, T4Editor provides intelligent suggestions:

• <#...#> - Control Block
• <#+...#> - Class Feature Block
• <#=...#> - Expression Block
• <#@ import #> - Import Directive
• <#@ include #> - Include Directive

Demo

Contributing

Development Setup

1. Clone the repositorygit clone https://github.com/Tim-Maes/T4Editor.git

2. Prerequisites

   • Visual Studio 2019/2022 with VSIX development workload
   • .NET Framework 4.7.2

3. Build and Test

   • Open T4Editor.sln in Visual Studio
   • Build solution (Ctrl+Shift+B)
   • Press F5 to run in experimental instance

Troubleshooting

Getting Help

• Create an issue on GitHub
• Check existing issues for solutions
• Contact the maintainer for support

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.txt file for details.