Quick start

From a database to working C# code in five steps. Each step links to the page that explains it in full.

1. 1

   Download and run the app

   Download takes you to the latest release on GitHub. Pick the file for your system: TheSharpFactory-win-x64.zip for Windows (win-arm64 on ARM), TheSharpFactory-osx-arm64.zip for a Mac with Apple silicon (osx-x64 on Intel) or TheSharpFactory-linux-x64.tar.gz for Linux. Unzip it and run it. It is self-contained: no .NET install and no account. The macOS app is not signed yet, so the first time, right-click it and choose Open.

   Download
2. 2

   Create a model from your database

   Choose New, connect to SQL Server, pick the tables, views, procedures, functions and sequences you want, and save the model file.

   Model generation →
3. 3

   Preview, then Sync into your solution

   Open Sync, pick your .sln or .slnx (or create one), check the preview of every file, then Sync. The same works from the command line:

   $ sharpfactory sync model.edmj MyApp.slnx --preview
4. 4

   Set up your project

   Add the package, the connection string and the repository container to the project that uses the generated code.

   Project setup →
5. 5

   Write your first query

   Use the repositories to create, read, update and delete, and the Query class to filter, sort and page.

   Query syntax →

Prefer video?

Short walkthroughs of the first model, CRUD, queries, procedures and more. They show an earlier version of the app.

Setup and First Model Basic CRUD Operations Basic Query Filtering Basic Query Sorting Basic Query Paging Navigation Properties Stored Procedures SQL Functions SQL Sequences Query Logging Updating The Model