Resurrect

Resurrect is a package that allows you to serialize a function for storage or transmission. The serialized function can be resurrected and executed in a different environment.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Features
• Usage
• ASP.NET Core Usage
• TODO

Installation

dotnet add package Resurrect

Or simply search for Resurrect in the NuGet gallery.

To use the package in ASP.NET Core projects, install the Resurrect.AspNetCore package.

dotnet add package Resurrect.AspNetCore

Or simply search for Resurrect.AspNetCore in the NuGet gallery.

Features

• Serialize a function to any format (JSON, XML, binary, etc.)
• Resurrect the serialized function and execute it
• Supports functions with parameters
• Supports DI in the resurrected function
• Supports async functions
• Supports functions with return values

The execution environment can be different from the serialization environment. However it must have access to the assembly that contains the method and dependencies of the method.

^{The function is technically not serialized. Instead, all the information required to execute the function is serialized. This includes the method name, class name, assembly name, and parameters of the method. The function is resurrected by using reflection to find the method and class, and then invoking the method with the parameters.}

Usage

Start by serializing a function using the SerializableFunction.Serialize method. The method takes a lambda expression as an argument. The lambda expression should be a function call to the method you want to serialize. The method can be a static method or an instance method.

var function = SerializableFunction.Serialize<TestService>(service => service.TestMethod("Hello, World!"));
var serializedFunction = JsonSerializer.Serialize(function);

The serialized function can be stored in a database, file, or transmitted over the network. To resurrect the function, use the Resurrector class.

var deserializedFunction = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<SerializableFunction>(serializedFunction);

var resurrector = new Resurrector(new ResurrectionOptions
{
    FunctionResolver = new ServiceCollectionFunctionResolver(serviceProvider),
    ParameterResolver = new JsonParameterResolver()
});

resurrector.Invoke(deserializedFunction);

The FunctionResolver property of the ResurrectionOptions class is used to resolve the class instance of the method. The ParameterResolver property is used to resolve the parameters of the method. The ServiceCollectionFunctionResolver class is a built-in function resolver that uses the IServiceProvider to resolve the class instance. The JsonParameterResolver class is a built-in parameter resolver that uses JSON to resolve the parameters of the method.

Note: The ServiceCollectionFunctionResolver and JsonParameterResolver class requires the Resurrect.AspNetCore package.

ASP.NET Core Usage

To use Resurrect in ASP.NET Core projects, add the Resurrect.AspNetCore package to your project. The package provides a built-in function resolver and parameter resolver for ASP.NET Core projects.

services.AddResurrect();

The AddResurrect method adds the ServiceCollectionFunctionResolver and JsonParameterResolver to the DI container. The Resurrector class will automatically use these resolvers when resolving the function and parameters.

To use the Resurrector class in your controller, inject the Resurrector class into the controller.

public class TestController : ApiController
{
    private readonly Resurrector _resurrector;

    public TestController(Resurrector resurrector)
    {
        _resurrector = resurrector;
    }

    [HttpPost]
    public IActionResult ExecuteFunction(SerializedFunction serializedFunction)
    {
        _resurrector.Invoke(deserializedFunction);
        return Ok();
    }
}

To use other resolvers, configure the ResurrectionOptions class in the AddResurrect method.

services.AddResurrect(options =>
{
    options.FunctionResolver = new CustomFunctionResolver();
    options.ParameterResolver = new CustomParameterResolver();
});

TODO

• Test coverage
• Handle versioning for the package better