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C# guide

How to use C# code generated by DeukPack in your project. Applicable to both .NET and Unity.

1. Code generation

Specify --csharp to generate C# from IDL.

npx deukpack ./schema.deuk ./gen --csharp --protocol tbinary

Output goes under gen/csharp/ (or your specified folder) as <stem>_deuk.cs per IDL source (suffix avoids clashing with hand-written types like Player.cs). Shared files such as MetaTableRegistry.g.cs keep their fixed names.
The runtime is required: reference dist/csharp from the npm package or the DeukPack.Protocol project from the DeukPack core repo. Generated code alone will not compile.

2. Adding project references

  • Generated .cs: Include all C# files from the output folder in your project, or reference the containing directory.
  • Runtime: Add DeukPack.Protocol (or the equivalent runtime already in your solution) as a project reference.

Example (.csproj):

<ItemGroup>
  <Compile Include="..\gen\csharp\**\*.cs" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
  <ProjectReference Include="..\path\to\DeukPack.Protocol\DeukPack.Protocol.csproj" />
</ItemGroup>

When using npm only: reference the runtime source at node_modules/deukpack/dist/csharp, or use your team's DeukPack runtime assembly.

3. Serialization & deserialization (read/write)

Generated types serialize via IDeukPackReader / IDeukPackWriter (or protocol-specific Reader/Writer). Select the protocol matching your --protocol tbinary (or tcompact, tjson, pack, json, …) at generation time.

Write example (concept):

var value = new DemoUser { Id = 1, Name = "Alice", Home = new DemoPoint { X = 10, Y = 20 } };
using var stream = new MemoryStream();
var writer = /* create Binary/Compact/JSON Writer (see generated code / runtime API) */;
value.Write(writer);
byte[] bytes = stream.ToArray();

Read example (concept):

using var stream = new MemoryStream(bytes);
var reader = /* create matching protocol Reader */;
var value = DemoUser.Read(reader);

Actual class and method names depend on your generated code and runtime version. For a working end-to-end example, see core repo examples/consumer-csharp.

4. GetSchema()

Generated types include GetSchema() (or similar API) to retrieve schema metadata — fields, types, defaults — at runtime. Useful for Excel, validation, and editor integration.

var schema = DemoUser.GetSchema();
// query field list, types, defaults, etc.

5. ProtocolRegistry & message dispatch

ProtocolRegistry provides message-type ↔ identifier (msgId, etc.) mapping. Used on server and client to dispatch different handlers based on packet type.

  • Check types and IDs registered in generated code, read msgId from received bytes, look up the type via ProtocolRegistry, and call Read to deserialize.
  • Details: Protocol and core repo docs.

6. Unified Write · extends

Every generated struct includes:

  • Write(oprot, fieldIds, overrides?) — fieldIds null ⇒ all fields; overrides ⇒ per-field ID replacement values; combine both for projection + fan-out without cloning.
  • FieldId nested class — StructName.FieldId.PropertyName for compile-time safe field ID references.
  • struct extends — use extends in IDL to auto-merge parent fields into child structs.

Tutorial & comparison: Unified Write tutorial. API tables: API reference. Core spec: DEUKPACK_WRITE_WITH_OVERRIDES_API.md.

7. In Unity

  • Include generated C# + DeukPack.Protocol (or Unity runtime) in your Unity project.
  • If using asmdef, place generated code and runtime in the same assembly or set up a reference relationship.
  • Kits lineup: See the Unity and Web App entries in DeukPack kits lineup for sample paths and setup guidance.

8. Next steps