Add StringSyntax formats throughout source code

[JamesNK]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe the problem.

StringSyntaxAttribute is placed on strings to tell tooling what format the string will take. For example, regex, JSON, XML, date format string, etc. This is then used to provide helpful features such as completion of date format strings, regex/JSON/XML highlighting, analyzers, etc.

We should ensure all the ASP.NET Core strings have this attribute where appropriate, so ASP.NET Core APIs get tooling enhancements.

Describe the solution you'd like

Audit dotnet/aspnetcore source and add StringSyntax attribute with format strings as needed:

• CompositeFormat - The syntax identifier for strings containing composite formats for string formatting.
• DateOnlyFormat - The syntax identifier for strings containing date format specifiers.
• DateTimeFormat - The syntax identifier for strings containing date and time format specifiers.
• EnumFormat - The syntax identifier for strings containing enum format specifiers.
• GuidFormat - The syntax identifier for strings containing GUID format specifiers.
• Json - The syntax identifier for strings containing JavaScript Object Notation (JSON).
• NumericFormat - The syntax identifier for strings containing numeric format specifiers.
• Regex - The syntax identifier for strings containing regular expressions. feat : Add StringSyntax for regex parameters #40589
• TimeOnlyFormat - The syntax identifier for strings containing time format specifiers.
• TimeSpanFormat - The syntax identifier for strings containing TimeSpan format specifiers.
• Uri - The syntax identifier for strings containing URIs.
• Xml - The syntax identifier for strings containing XML.

This list is from https://github.com/dotnet/runtime/blob/664d7c68d53f2465b79de25fdd6827007216239f/src/libraries/System.Private.CoreLib/src/System/Diagnostics/CodeAnalysis/StringSyntaxAttribute.cs#L38-L72

I expect many of these won't have any usage - e.g. the format strings (except CompositeFormat) - but we should have Regex, Uri, Json and Xml.

Additional context

No response

[danmoseley]

Example of this kind of thing done previously in runtime
dotnet/runtime#67621

[blouflashdb]

I would love to help here.

[danmoseley]

I have assigned to you @blouflashdb

[blouflashdb]

#44555 PR for CompositeFormat

more will follow soon.

[blouflashdb]

@JamesNK I have a question about StringSyntaxAttribute.Uri.

There are some places where a RelativeIUri is passed as an parameter. I saw that optinal arguments can be added to StringSyntaxAttribute for example uriKind. How should the StringSyntaxAttribute look like for relative uri?

There is also one place in the code where a relative or absolute url can be passed to the methode. For Example WebViewManager.Navigate . How to handle this case?

[JamesNK]

Good question. Thanks for thinking about this.

I think StringSyntaxAttribute.Uri should be used for both relative and absolute URLs. For UriKind, an example of it is on the Uri ctor, and it looks like it the parameter named is passed as an argument on the attribute - https://github.com/dotnet/runtime/blob/9bcbf50d9ebe60cd83ed724179a5a503cbf03702/src/libraries/System.Private.Uri/src/System/Uri.cs#L405-L414

@stephentoub I see you added Uri throughout dotnet/runtime in dotnet/runtime#67621. Any extra input on these StringSyntaxAttribute usages?

[danmoseley]

btw @CyrusNajmabadi just curious what the status of tooling support for these is? Do you expect them to all have an experience like regex has?

[blouflashdb]

Does StringSyntaxAttribute also works on parameters like this? params string[] urls ?

[JamesNK]

I tested it, and yes it does:

However, looks like there is a bug in Roslyn where it only applies it to the first string. New Roslyn issue: dotnet/roslyn#64756

[CyrusNajmabadi]

Do you expect them to all have an experience like regex has?

We can add support if the language provides a suitable parser we can depend on.

[CyrusNajmabadi]

My preference though would be to treat it like asp route strings. Have the bcl team own the integration points, not Roslyn.

[blouflashdb]

There are no public api parameters where StringFormatAttribute Xml can be added.

[blouflashdb]

There are some for DateOnlyFormat & DateTimeFormat. Others I haven't checked yet.

[ghost]

Thanks for contacting us.

We're moving this issue to the .NET 8 Planning milestone for future evaluation / consideration. We would like to keep this around to collect more feedback, which can help us with prioritizing this work. We will re-evaluate this issue, during our next planning meeting(s).
If we later determine, that the issue has no community involvement, or it's very rare and low-impact issue, we will close it - so that the team can focus on more important and high impact issues.
To learn more about what to expect next and how this issue will be handled you can read more about our triage process here.

[stephentoub]

@stephentoub I see you added Uri throughout dotnet/runtime in dotnet/runtime#67621. Any extra input on these StringSyntaxAttribute usages?

@JamesNK, what are you looking for feedback on here?

[JamesNK]

Original question was about arguments to URI strings. We figured it out.

[danmoseley]

@blouflashdb is there more to do here, after your last changes? if so any interest in doing the last ones?

[blouflashdb]

@danmoseley I will look into the remaining things aswell.

[danmoseley]

Thanks @blouflashdb

[abc516]

Hi @danmoseley @JamesNK, I notice this issue hasn't had activity for a while. Do you still need someone to take on the remaining tasks (e.g. GuidFormat)? Thanks.

[JamesNK]

It's already assigned but it has been idle for a while. @blouflashdb Do you plan to keep looking at this?

[blouflashdb]

Sorry, I cant work on it anymore.

[danmoseley]

@blouflashdb thanks for the part you did. @abc516 thanks for taking on the rest!

[cansozbir]

I wonder if NumericFormat is already done.

[ShirAvneri]

@danmoseley I noticed that the last PR that addressed this issue was closed.
Would it be okay if I tried to work on this issue?