Pritom.Copy 1.0.3

Copy - Source Generator for DeepCopy and ShallowCopy in C#

🚀 Copy is a Roslyn-based source generator that reduces boilerplate by automatically generating DeepCopy and ShallowCopy methods for your models. Just use an attribute or implement a marker interface, and the generator handles the rest!

✨ Features

• ✅ Automatically generates DeepCopy() and/or ShallowCopy() methods
• ✅ Clean, zero-runtime dependency — generation happens at compile-time
• ✅ Supports both [Attribute] and interface-based opt-in mechanisms
• ✅ Great for DTOs, ViewModels, and data layer objects

📦 Installation

Add the package to your project using NuGet:

dotnet add package Copy

🛠️ How It Works

MAKE SURE, your models/pocos/dtos are partial. Without this, it won't work.

Option 1: Use Attributes

Annotate your model class with [ShallowCopy] or [DeepCopy]:

using Copy;

[ShallowCopy]
public partial class Person
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
}

This generates a ShallowCopy() method:

public Person ShallowCopy()
{
    return new Person
    {
        Name = this.Name,
        Age = this.Age
    };
}

Option 2: Implement Marker Interfaces

Instead of using attributes, implement one of the marker interfaces:

public partial class Person : IShallowCopy
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
}

This will have the same result: a ShallowCopy() method will be generated at compile-time.

🤿 Deep Copy Support

If your model contains reference-type properties or collections and you want a true deep copy, use [DeepCopy] or implement IDeepCopy:

[DeepCopy]
public partial class Order
{
    public Customer Customer { get; set; }
    public List<Item> Items { get; set; }
}

The generator will recursively clone reference types where possible.

✅ Generated Code Is:

Partial – Safe to regenerate on build

Readable – Emitted to the intermediate folder for inspection

Non-intrusive – Won’t modify your original source