- Rework SerializationReferenceTracker to use a unified Bloom filter + HashSet for both IId and reference-based tracking, improving efficiency and reducing allocations.
- Introduce AcSerializeBase as a common base class for serialization contexts; update Binary, JSON, and Toon contexts to inherit from it.
- Move AcBinaryDeserializationException, AcJsonDeserializationException, and TypeConversionInfo to separate files for better organization.
- Remove obsolete code and update documentation to reflect new reference tracking logic.
Introduce SerializeTypeMetadataBase<TMetadata> as a new abstract base class for serializer type metadata, extending TypeMetadataBase. Update Binary, JSON, and Toon serializer metadata classes to inherit from this new base, enabling shared serializer-specific logic and improving code organization. No functional changes to serialization behavior.
Replaces BinaryTypeMetadata, JsonTypeMetadata, and ToonTypeMetadata with BinarySerializeTypeMetadata, JsonSerializeTypeMetadata, and ToonSerializeTypeMetadata, moving each to its own file. Updates all references and documentation to use new names. Property accessor classes are retained and relocated. Also sets SignalR logging minimum level to Error. No changes to serialization logic; this is a structural/naming refactor for clarity and separation of concerns.
Adds robust IId<T>-based reference deduplication to both serialization and deserialization. Objects with the same type and Id are now treated as the same reference, reducing output size and ensuring correct reference identity in complex graphs.
Key changes:
- TypeMetadataBase: Adds IdAccessorType, typed Id getters, and precomputed property arrays for zero-boxing and fast access.
- AcSerializerCommon: Introduces IIdReferenceTracker for efficient (Type, Id) → object mapping.
- SerializationReferenceTracker: Now supports both ReferenceEquals and IId-based tracking for scanning and writing.
- AcBinarySerializer: Reference scan uses IId-aware deduplication, skipping types that don't need tracking.
- AcBinaryDeserializer: Adds per-context IId caches to ensure reference identity on deserialization.
- PropertyAccessorBase: Adds IsComplexType for fast scan decisions.
- Populate/Chain: Integrated with new IId cache for correct deduplication.
- Tests: Adds/updates tests for IId identity, cross-type safety, and diagnostics.
- Benchmarks: Adds WithRef/NoRef and AcJson vs System.Text.Json.
- Documentation: Includes detailed implementation plan and rationale.
No breaking changes for types that do not use IId. Zero-boxing for int/long/Guid Ids. Reference identity is now preserved for all IId objects.
- Support optional domain context in Toon serializer metadata (@meta section now includes "context" property if provided).
- Update internal and public APIs to accept and propagate domain context.
- Add overloads for Serialize, SerializeTypeMetadata, and SerializeMetadata to allow specifying domain context.
- Add AcBinarySerializerIIdReferenceTests and AcJsonSerializerIIdReferenceTests to verify IId-based reference deduplication and reference identity for both binary and JSON serializers.
- Tests cover both int and Guid IId scenarios, data integrity, and output size efficiency.
Expanded use of the ToonDescription attribute across core entities and DTOs to provide rich metadata, including business rules, purposes, and status flags. Added class-level and property-level annotations to improve self-documentation and support automated tooling. Introduced new computed properties with ToonDescription in ProductDto, StockQuantityHistoryDto, and StockTakingItem. Updated ToonTypeRelation with an Entity constant. Enhanced test coverage for Toon metadata. Cleaned up imports and removed obsolete test_debug.ps1 script. Updated settings.local.json to support additional Bash commands for tooling. These changes improve introspectability and support for serialization, UI, and API documentation.
Introduce "business-logic" field in AcToonSerializer type metadata output, sourced from ToonDescription attributes on DTO properties. Annotate relevant OrderDto and OrderItemDto properties with business rules and constraints. Expand allowed Bash commands in settings.local.json. Add test script to verify business-logic metadata presence. Temporarily disable HasToonIgnoreAttribute logic in JsonUtilities.
Replaced Array.Empty<ToonPropertyAccessor>() with the new C# 12 collection expression [] for initializing the Properties field as an empty array, resulting in more concise and modern code.
Major refactor: split AcToonSerializer.MetaSection.cs into focused modules for meta writing, type/enum definitions, navigation, foreign key, validation, descriptions, placeholders, topological sort, and attribute detection. Extend ToonDescriptionAttribute with BusinessRule, TypeRelation, and RelatedTypes for richer metadata. Add ToonTypeRelation constants. Annotate all DTOs with ToonDescription for type relationships. Refactor TypeMetadataBase for customizable ignore filters. Update tests and settings. Improves maintainability, extensibility, and metadata accuracy.
- Introduce AcNavigationPropertyInfo for unified, cached relationship metadata per property (primary key, navigation type, FK, other key, inverse, target type)
- Refactor relationship detection to use AcNavigationPropertyInfo, replacing ad-hoc logic and old RelationshipMetadata
- Add AcSerializerCommon.GetCSharpTypeName for consistent, C#-style type name formatting (handles primitives, generics, nullables, enums, collections)
- Use topological sort for @types output to ensure dependency order
- Improve enum handling: avoid redundant constraints, use new type name formatter for underlying types
- Output navigation, foreign-key, other-key, and inverse-property metadata consistently in meta section
- Enhance convention-based detection for inverse properties and "other key", including unidirectional/polymorphic support
- Add comprehensive test for navigation metadata completeness and demo test entities
- Add "source-code-language: C#" to meta section
- Misc: code cleanup, remove unused cache, improve property filtering
- Remove redundant constraints (nullable, numeric, boolean) from metadata; only explicit [Required] is documented.
- Exclude enum values from constraints; add "readonly" for readonly/init-only properties.
- Filter out primitives from documented types; only complex types and enums are included.
- Detect and document enum backing fields with "enum-type" constraint.
- Only output descriptions if explicitly provided; no fallback/inferred text.
- Add "not-mapped" constraint for [NotMapped]/[NotColumn] properties.
- Switch FruitBankHybrid.Shared.Tests.csproj to direct AyCode.Core project reference.
- Add both LinqToDB and DataAnnotations [Table] attributes to DTOs for ORM compatibility.
- Refined type metadata serialization: collections and dictionaries are now detected and described more accurately, avoiding generic type names (e.g., List`1) and redundant "object" element types.
- Added circular reference protection to type name generation to prevent stack overflows and duplicate type names.
- Updated AcToonSerializerOptions.Compact to use indentation for better readability.
- Introduced ToonTests with unit tests to ensure type metadata correctness, uniqueness, and clarity.
- Added AyCode.Core project to the solution and adjusted namespaces/usings for consistency.
Introduced AcToonSerializer, a new high-performance, LLM-friendly serialization format (Toon) with explicit meta/types/data sections, rich type metadata, and smart inference for property documentation. Added ToonDescriptionAttribute for custom schema annotations and relationship metadata. Implemented fallback/placeholder system merging custom, Microsoft, and inferred metadata. Enhanced logging: AcLoggerBase now implements ILogger, with provider/extensions for DI integration. Updated SignalR client to use AcLogger. Added ToonExtendedInfo.txt with full documentation. No breaking changes to existing serialization.
- Add automatic detection of primary/foreign keys, navigation types, and table names via ToonDescription, EF Core/Linq2Db attributes, or convention
- Extend ToonDescriptionAttribute with IsPrimaryKey, ForeignKey, Navigation, InverseProperty, and TableName
- Output relationship and table metadata in @types section (enhanced and simple modes)
- Document enums in @types with numeric values and descriptions
- Optimize token usage: compact output when indentation is off
- Show dictionary key/value types in output
- Add SerializeMetadata(IEnumerable<Type>) API for multi-type docs
- Refactor and improve documentation throughout
Introduces Toon (Token-Oriented Object Notation), a new serialization format designed for LLM readability and token efficiency. Adds core Toon serializer, options, attribute system (ToonDescriptionAttribute), and comprehensive documentation. Supports explicit type metadata, smart fallback/placeholder logic, multi-turn workflows, reference handling, and multi-line strings. No breaking changes; Toon is opt-in and complements existing JSON/binary serializers.
AyCode.Core loggers now implement the ILogger interface, enabling direct integration with Microsoft.Extensions.Logging. Added AcLoggerProvider and extension methods for easy DI registration. Internal LogLevel usages are now AcLogLevel to avoid confusion. This allows seamless use of AyCode loggers in ASP.NET Core and other .NET apps using standard logging abstractions.
Now the /reports directory will be ignored by Git, preventing it from being tracked in the repository. This helps keep generated or report files out of version control.
Introduce Roslyn Source Generator for AcBinary serialization, generating optimized Serialize/Deserialize methods for types marked with [AcBinarySerializable]. Integrate generator as analyzer in core, tests, and benchmarks. Update metadata to detect generated serializers. Add benchmarks and integration tests to validate performance and correctness. Update project files and internals visibility for testing. Existing runtime serialization remains as fallback.
Now the /reports directory will be ignored by Git, preventing it from being tracked in the repository. This helps keep generated or report files out of version control.
Refactored deserialization to use a unified PopulateObjectCore method, replacing PopulateObjectMerge and PopulateObjectNested to reduce duplication. Improved and centralized IId collection merge logic, with automatic detection and handling in merge mode. Reference ID registration is now consistent for reused objects and collections. Simplified SetPropertyToDefault to set collections to null. Updated documentation and clarified merge mode handling throughout. These changes improve maintainability, consistency, and robustness of deserialization.
- Changed TestStatus enum to use non-sequential values (5, 10, 20, ...)
- Updated related tests and deserialization logic for new enum values
- Changed PropertySkip marker from 253 to 191 to avoid TinyInt conflicts
- PropertySkip now only written for null references, not empty values
- Improved handling of skipped enum and nullable properties in deserializer
- Enhanced compiled property setter for nullable types
- Added comprehensive int serialization tests, including edge cases
- Fixed namespace casing and added missing using directive
Refactored object serialization to use fixed property order and a new PropertySkip marker for default/null values, removing property count and index overhead. Updated deserialization logic to handle skip markers and set defaults efficiently. Added WritePropertyOrSkip and SetPropertyToDefault methods for single-pass, boxing-free property handling. SkipObject now throws for new format. Updated BinaryTypeCode, .gitignore, and settings.local.json.
Major overhaul of type metadata caching:
- Introduced generic TypeMetadataBase<T> with built-in ThreadLocal and global caching, replacing all per-class static caches.
- Updated all serializer/deserializer metadata classes to use the new base, unifying and simplifying cache logic.
- Increased ThreadLocal cache size for better performance with many types.
- Standardized property collection order and improved property array usage.
- Updated documentation and comments to reflect new caching strategy.
These changes improve performance, scalability, and maintainability while reducing code duplication.
Renamed and split internal context and metadata classes for JSON and binary serialization/deserialization.
- Replaced CrossTypeDeserializerBase with DeserializeCrossTypeBase; updated all usages.
- Renamed DeserializationContextPool to JsonDeserializationContextPool; SerializationContextPool now uses JsonSerializationContext.
- Renamed DeserializeTypeMetadata to JsonDeserializeTypeMetadata; TypeMetadata to JsonTypeMetadata, each in their own files.
- Updated all method signatures and internal references to use new names.
- Simplified BinaryDeserializeTypeMetadata by removing internal property dictionary.
No changes to public APIs; improves code clarity and maintainability.
Introduce AcDynamicMethodRegistry<TAttribute> for efficient, static caching and lookup of SignalR methods by messageTag and type. Replace per-instance method lists with a high-performance registry, update all registration and invocation logic to use the new approach, and make method metadata caching type-based and immutable. Also expand Bash permissions in settings.local.json and rename ReadVarUIntFromBytes for consistency. This improves performance, maintainability, and code clarity for dynamic SignalR method invocation.
- Enable deserialization and population from TSource to TDest with automatic or custom property mapping (by name or via PropertyMapper).
- Add PropertyMapperDelegate and options for custom mapping logic.
- Implement PropertyMappingCache and BinaryIndexMappingCache for efficient, thread-safe mapping reuse.
- Ensure stable, inheritance-aware property ordering in TypeMetadataBase for reliable cross-type mapping.
- Add CrossTypeDeserializerBase utility for shared cross-type logic.
- Add AcBinaryDeserializer.CrossType with new Deserialize<TSource, TDest> and Populate<TSource, TDest> overloads.
- Update settings.local.json to allow additional Bash commands for development.
- Improve documentation and add missing using directives.
Switch to deterministic property index-based serialization/deserialization for improved performance and cross-platform consistency. Properties are now ordered alphabetically and accessed by index, enabling O(1) lookups and eliminating string/dictionary overhead. Introduce thread-local metadata caches, refactor metadata and populate logic, optimize string interning and enum handling, and remove legacy name-based code paths. Update diagnostics and documentation for clarity and maintainability.
Major overhaul of serialization/deserialization infrastructure:
- Introduced unified Chain API for binary/JSON, enabling multi-deserialization/population with strong IId reference identity (critical for Blazor/DXGrid).
- Added base classes for property accessors/setters and centralized type metadata.
- Implemented ChainReferenceTracker and shared IIdCollectionMergeHelper for reference tracking and collection merging.
- Refactored property access logic to use typed delegates for primitives/enums.
- Updated extension methods and replaced legacy chain/populate interfaces.
- Improved error handling and diagnostics.
- Added comprehensive tests for chain API and reference preservation.
- Minor fixes and performance optimizations throughout.
- Introduced a high-performance, reusable "chain" API for JSON deserialization and object population, enabling parsed JSON to be reused for multiple deserializations without reparsing. Exposed via new extension methods and interfaces (`IDeserializeChain<T>`, `IPopulateChain`).
- Added comprehensive infrastructure for serializing and deserializing .NET Expression trees to a universal DTO (`AcExpressionNode`), with full round-trip support and robust handling of constants, closures, and queryable expressions.
- Centralized all property accessor and expression utilities in `AcSerializerCommon` to avoid duplication and improve maintainability.
- Enhanced both JSON and binary serializers to support Expression and IQueryable types, with automatic conversion to/from `AcExpressionNode`.
- Refactored type metadata and property accessor logic for performance and code reuse.
- Added extensive unit tests for the new chain API and expression serialization, and reorganized test models and namespaces for clarity.
- Improved logging, error handling, and test infrastructure.
- Misc: Added settings for local builds, updated project files, and cleaned up obsolete code.
Added support for optional/default parameters in SignalR method invocation. The hub now fills in missing arguments with default values when not provided, and throws if required parameters are missing. Added comprehensive tests for default parameter handling, a new handler method for testing, and a tag constant. Also improved code style with C# pattern matching and made UseStringCaching immutable.
Replaced explicit 'int' declarations with 'var' for local variables in for loops and variable initializations. This improves code conciseness and maintains consistency without altering functionality.
Changed the log level from Debug to Warning when a dynamic method
is not found for a given tag, making these events more visible
in the logs and easier to monitor.
Previously, the string cache hash function only used the first 4 bytes and length, causing collisions for property names like "Creator" and "Created" in WASM. This led to incorrect property assignments and deserialization errors. The new ComputeStringHashFull function now hashes all bytes for strings up to 32 bytes, eliminating these collisions. Extensive comments document the bug, its impact, and the necessity of the fix.
Introduces detailed, opt-in diagnostic logging for binary serialization and deserialization in SignalR server and client code. Adds type and binary-level diagnostics, including hex dumps and header parsing, to aid debugging of protocol and type mismatches. Improves string hash function in the binary deserializer to avoid collisions. Diagnostics are consistent and structured, and can be enabled independently on server, client, and response message classes. No impact on normal operation unless diagnostics are enabled.
Major overhaul of binary serializer/deserializer tests: split and expand test coverage for primitives, objects, navigation, generics, circular refs, and edge cases. Fix critical bugs in property skipping, string interning, type mismatch diagnostics, nullable assignment, and VarInt decoding. Add WASM-optimized deserialization options with string caching. Switch SignalR compression from Brotli to Gzip and introduce GzipHelper. Add comprehensive StockTaking test models and real-world bug reproductions. Improve diagnostics, test discovery, and add benchmark/utility scripts.
Split SignalRDataSourceTests into multiple focused files and introduce an abstract base test class for comprehensive coverage. Add concrete test classes for all serializer and collection type combinations. Move data source implementations to separate files. Test coverage now includes edge cases, interface compliance, and advanced scenarios.
Introduces FixStr encoding (type codes 34–65) for short ASCII/UTF8 strings up to 31 bytes, combining type and length in one byte for improved space and speed. Adds SIMD-optimized bulk copy methods for double, float, and Guid arrays. Updates deserializer to handle FixStr codes efficiently. Adjusts tiny int encoding range to free up FixStr space. Disables metadata and string interning in shallow copy options. Improves performance and reduces overhead for common serialization scenarios.
Majorly enhanced QuickBenchmark.cs with new helper methods, standardized iteration count, and several comprehensive benchmarks comparing AcBinary (with/without reference handling) to MessagePack. Improved output formatting for clarity. Added RunQuickBenchmark.ps1 and .bat scripts for easy CLI execution and registered them as solution items. These changes make benchmarking more robust, readable, and user-friendly.
- Introduced AcJsonSerializer/AcJsonDeserializer in AyCode.Core.Serializers.Jsons, optimized for IId<T> reference and circular reference handling.
- Added AcJsonSerializerOptions/AcSerializerOptions for configurable reference handling and max depth.
- Implemented fast-path streaming (Utf8JsonReader/Writer) with fallback to DOM for reference scenarios.
- Added type metadata/property accessor caching for performance.
- Provided robust object/collection population with merge semantics for IId<T> collections.
- Added AcJsonDeserializationException for detailed error reporting.
- Implemented UnifiedMergeContractResolver for Newtonsoft.Json, supporting JsonNoMergeCollectionAttribute to control merge behavior.
- Added IdAwareCollectionMergeConverter<TItem, TId> for merging IId<T> collections by ID.
- Included helpers for ID extraction and semantic ID generation.
- Added DeepPopulateWithMerge extension for deep merging.
- Optimized with frozen dictionaries, pre-encoded property names, and context pooling.
- Ensured compatibility with both System.Text.Json and Newtonsoft.Json.
- Support preloaded string intern table in binary header for efficient string interning and reduced output size.
- Add HeaderFlag_StringInternTable to BinaryTypeCode and update serializer/deserializer to handle intern tables.
- Simplify string interning logic: always intern eligible strings, remove candidate tracking.
- Refactor property name table and buffer management for clarity and efficiency.
- Remove obsolete interning/property name methods from serializer context.
- Add new output methods (ToArray, WriteTo, DetachResult) for buffer/result handling.
- Introduce QuickBenchmark.cs with benchmarks comparing AcBinarySerializer (with/without interning), JSON, and MessagePack, including repeated string scenarios.
- Add property-level filtering via BinaryPropertyFilter delegate and context
- Improve string interning with new StringInternNew type code and promotion logic
- Optimize array and dictionary serialization for primitive types
- Expose strongly-typed property accessors for primitives and enums
- Add new benchmarks for serialization modes
- Refactor buffer pooling and cleanup code
- All new features are opt-in; maintains backward compatibility
Centralize serialization steps into a new SerializeCore method for consistency and maintainability. Rework property metadata registration to operate on types instead of instances, improving efficiency. Replace property index tracking with stack-allocated or pooled buffers to reduce allocations. Add SerializeToPooledBuffer and BinarySerializationResult for zero-copy serialization with proper buffer pooling and disposal. Simplify string writing logic and use GC.AllocateUninitializedArray for result arrays. Refactor and add helper methods for buffer management and metadata handling.
- Add BSON (MongoDB.Bson) as a serialization format in benchmarks, enabling direct comparison with AcBinary, MessagePack, and JSON.
- Update all AcBinary benchmarks to use options without reference handling for fair comparison.
- Show BSON results and ratios in benchmark output and size comparisons.
- Refactor AcBinaryDeserializer to use a fixed-size array for type reader dispatch, improving lookup speed and reducing allocations.
- Add a concurrent cache for type conversion info to optimize enum and nullable conversions.
- Use a cached UTF8Encoding instance for string decoding.
- Use FrozenDictionary for property lookup in BinaryDeserializeTypeMetadata.
- Remove legacy WithRef code paths and clean up formatting and comments.
- Improve error handling and fallback logic for BSON serialization/deserialization.
Prevent size_output.txt from being tracked by Git by adding it to the .gitignore file. This helps keep the repository clean of generated or temporary files.
Major refactor to eliminate MessagePack from SignalR messaging.
All serialization now uses explicit binary methods (.ToBinary/.BinaryTo)
and Brotli-compressed JSON, managed via a new SignalRSerializationHelper.
Custom stream classes and MessagePack attributes are removed.
API is now consistent, type-safe, and easier to maintain.
Test code and all message handling updated to use the new model.
Major performance improvements for SignalR message transport:
- BrotliHelper now uses ArrayPool and stackalloc for zero-allocation compression/decompression; added span/IBufferWriter overloads and pooled buffer support.
- AcJsonDeserializer supports direct deserialization from UTF-8 spans, with fast path for no reference handling.
- SignalResponseDataMessage uses pooled buffers for Brotli decompression and zero-copy deserialization; implements IDisposable for buffer return.
- IdMessage serialization optimized for primitives and Guids to avoid unnecessary allocations.
- Added JsonTo<T> span/byte[] extension methods for zero-allocation deserialization.
- All changes are backward compatible and reduce GC pressure for high-throughput scenarios.
Major refactor: all SignalR responses now use a single unified `SignalResponseDataMessage` type with binary payloads. JSON responses are Brotli-compressed for efficiency. Removed legacy JSON/Binary response types and MessagePack server-to-client serialization. Updated all serialization extensions for zero-allocation binary ops. Refactored client/server/data source/test code to use new message and serialization model. Improved deserialization robustness for primitives. Modernized and streamlined test suite.
Renamed the benchmark project from BenchmarkSuite1 to AyCode.Benchmark, updating the solution reference and moving all benchmark source files under the new project and namespace. No functional changes were made; this is a structural and naming reorganization for clarity and maintainability.
Loretta