MvcModelGenerator is a DSL package (a plugin module) for Rhetos development platform. It automatically generates ASP.NET MVC model for all entities and other queryable data structures that are defined in a Rhetos application.

See rhetos.org for more information on Rhetos.

MvcModelGenerator package, when deployed, generates source and binary files in \bin\Generated folder inside Rhetos server. Include the generated files in your ASP.NET MVC application (or any other), for faster GUI development and easier integration with Rhetos application server.

• Rhetos.Mvc.cs contains MVC model classes for Rhetos entities and other data structures.
• The generated classes and their properties have standard ComponentModel.DataAnnotations attributes based on CommonConcepts features in DSL scripts: Required, UIHint, MaxLength, MinLength, RegularExpression and Display.
• Custom attributes are also assigned for additional functionality: MaxValue, MinValue, RenderMode and LocalizedDisplayName.

• The generated Captions.resx resource file contains default captions (display names) for properties, entities and other data structures. The MVC model classes are bound to the resource file by Display attribute.
• Option A: To use the generated captions include Captions.dll into your web application.
• Option B: Include Captions.resx into your web application project. Make sure to set the file's properties in Visual Studio to match the following:
  • Custom Tool Namespace: Rhetos.Mvc
  • Build Action: Embedded Resource (default value)
  • Custom Tool: ResXFileCodeGenerator (default value) or PublicResXFileCodeGenerator

• To override default captions, include Captions.resx directly into your project (see the instructions above) and add a new resource file with your culture's name (for example Captions.en-GB.resx or Captions.hr-HR.resx, see CurrentCulture). The ASP.NET will automatically use the captions you entered in the culture-specific resource file, or fallback to the default captions if the localized caption is not entered.
  • Make sure to set the same properties in Visual Studio for the localized resource file as for the default Captions.resx file.
• There are free resx editors to help you enter the captions.

• MvcModelGenerator includes CamelCase splitter plugin (CamelCaseCaptions) that splits property names into words when generating default captions, reducing the need to override default captions.
• Similar caption processing plugins may be implemented in a Rhetos package by implementing ICaptionsValuePlugin interface.

• CommonConcepts package must be deployed along with MvcModelGenerator.

• Build utilities in this project are based on relative path to Rhetos repository. Rhetos source should be downloaded to a folder with relative path ..\..\Rhetos and compiled (use Build.bat), before this package's Build.bat script is executed.

Sample folder structure:

\ROOT
	\Rhetos
	\RhetosPackages
		\MvcModelGenerator

1. Build this package by executing Build.bat. The script will pause in case of an error.
   • The script automatically copies all needed dll files from Rhetos folder and builds the Rhetos.MvcModelGenerator.sln using Visual Studio (command-line).

1. Set the new version number in ChangeVersion.bat and execute it.
2. Execute Build.bat.
3. Execute CreatePackage.bat. It creates installation package (.zip) in parent directory of MvcModelGenerator.