Introduction to CodeSmith: Template‑Based Code Generation and Practical Usage Guide

CodeSmith is a template‑based code generation tool that uses ASP.NET‑like syntax to produce any type of code or text, allowing developers to automate repetitive tasks such as data‑access layer creation or custom collection generation.

Using CodeSmith, templates are written in a syntax similar to ASP.NET, with properties that expose configuration items (e.g., package, SourceTable) and can include conditional logic, loops, and custom methods.

Example template snippets show how to declare properties, generate Java beans, and map .NET DbType values to Java types via a GetJavaType method.

1.<%@ CodeTemplate Language="C#" TargetLanguage="Java" Src="" Inherits="" Debug="False" Description="" ResponseEncoding="UTF-8" %>
2.<%@ Property Name="package" Type="System.String" Default="Che168.Model" Optional="False" Category="Strings" Description="实体类命名空间" %>
3.<%@ Property Name="SourceTable" Type="SchemaExplorer.TableSchema" Optional="False" Category="Configs" Description="源表" %>
4.<%@ Property Name="SourceTable2" Type="SchemaExplorer.TableSchema" Optional="True" Category="Configs" Description="字段备注来源表" %>
5.<%@ Property Name="IsSpringBoot" Type="System.Boolean" Category="Configs" Description="是否是SpringBoot bean，如果是，则生成api说明备注" %>

The article also explains how to extract common methods into separate template files and reference them with

<%@ Register Template="../Reference/Extends.cst" Name="ExtendsTools" MergeProperties="True" %>

or include external C# assemblies using <%@ Assembly Src="../Reference/SqlScriptExtend.cs" %> and

<%@ Assembly Name="CodeSmithExtend" Path="../Reference" %>

.

Practical tips include registering properties for SQL scripts and database connections, parsing query results to obtain table schemas, and using those schemas to generate models, CRUD SQL, UI pages, or documentation, achieving up to 70% reduction in manual coding effort.

Finally, the author notes that with well‑defined standards, code generation can approach a “no‑code” workflow and can directly output files.