Settings Reference

Settings Reference

Every setting in Database.tt, A to Z, with a one-line summary and a link to its page.

Each page shows the generated code before and after, produced by running the generator rather than typed from memory, and re-checked by a test so it cannot quietly stop being true.

Settings that are always set together, or that only make sense read together, share a page - the two collection settings, the five class modifier settings, the three connection string settings. The link takes you to the right place either way.

Where to start

New to the generator, or working out why something is not happening:

• Settings.DatabaseType and TemplateType - the two you must get right first
• Settings.ConnectionString and friends - and why there are three of them
• Settings.ElementsToGenerate - which classes get generated at all
• Settings.GenerateSeparateFiles - one file or many
• Settings.UpdateColumn - the main hook for reshaping the model
• Filtering - which tables and columns are read in the first place

Related pages that cover a whole topic rather than one setting: Settings Callbacks | Common Settings Types Explained | Full Control Over the Generated Code | Settings runtime values and helpers

A to Z

Setting	What it does
Settings.AddEnum	Decide which tables become enums, by rule
Settings.AddEnumDefinitions	Replace a column's type with an enum
Settings.AddExtraForeignKeys	Relationships the database does not declare
Settings.AddIDbContextFactory	Generates the factory dotnet ef looks for
Settings.AdditionalContextInterfaceItems	Extra members on the context interface
Settings.AdditionalFileFooterText	Your own lines at the bottom
Settings.AdditionalFileHeaderText	Your own lines at the top of each file
Settings.AdditionalForeignKeysDataAnnotations	Attributes on every foreign key property
Settings.AdditionalNamespaces	Extra using lines
Settings.AdditionalReverseNavigationsDataAnnotations	Attributes on every reverse navigation
Settings.AddJsonColumnMappings	Map a JSON column to a real class
Settings.AddOwnedEntityMappings	Group prefixed columns into an owned entity
Settings.AddParameterlessConstructorToDbContext	EF 6. Whether a parameterless constructor is generated
Settings.AddUnitTestingDbContext	Generates FakeDbContext and FakeDbSet
Settings.AllowNullStrings	string? and #nullable enable
Settings.CollectionInterfaceType	The declared collection type: ICollection, IList
Settings.CollectionType	The concrete collection type: List, ObservableCollection, HashSet
Settings.ColumnIdentity	The fluent call after ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
Settings.CommandTimeout	How long each schema query may take, in seconds
Settings.ConfigurationClassesModifiers	Modifiers on configuration classes
Settings.ConfigurationClassName	Suffix for configuration classes: Configuration, Map, Mapping
Settings.ConnectionString	The connection string the generator uses at design time
Settings.ConnectionStringActions	Extra fluent calls appended to the provider setup
Settings.ConnectionStringName	A key your application looks up at run time
Settings.ContextFolder	Sub-folder for the DbContext
Settings.ContextNamespace	A using for where the DbContext lives
Settings.DatabaseType	Which database to read: SqlServer, PostgreSQL, MySql, Oracle, SQLite
Settings.DbContextBaseClass	What the context inherits from, e.g. IdentityDbContext
Settings.DbContextClassModifiers	Modifiers on the context. partial enables OnModelCreatingPartial
Settings.DbContextInterfaceBaseClasses	What the interface extends
Settings.DbContextInterfaceModifiers	Modifiers on the interface
Settings.DbContextInterfaceName	The interface name; empty string means no interface
Settings.DbContextName	The generated context class name
Settings.DefaultConstructorArgument	EF 6. What the parameterless constructor passes to base
Settings.DefaultSchema	The schema that is never prepended. Set by the reader
Settings.DisableGeographyTypes	Skips spatial columns. On by default
Settings.ElementsToGenerate	Which kinds of class to generate at all
Settings.EntityClassesModifiers	Modifiers on entity classes - usually public partial
Settings.Enumerations	Turn a lookup table's rows into a C# enum
Settings.FakeDbContextInDebugOnlyMode	Wraps the fakes in #if DEBUG
Settings.ForeignKeyAnnotationsProcessing	Attributes on navigation properties
Settings.ForeignKeyFilterFunc	Drop a relationship, or just its reverse navigation
Settings.ForeignKeyName	Name the navigation properties
Settings.GenerateHasDefaultValueSql	EF Core. Defaults in the EF model, not just the POCO
Settings.GenerateSeparateFiles	One file per class instead of one big Database.cs
Settings.HiLoSequences	Client-side id blocks from a database sequence
Settings.IncludeCodeGeneratedAttribute	[GeneratedCode] on each class
Settings.IncludeColumnsWithDefaults	Copies database defaults into the POCO
Settings.IncludeComments	Column names, keys and lengths as comments
Settings.IncludeConnectionSettingComments	Database edition and version at generation time
Settings.IncludeExtendedPropertyComments	Your database's own column descriptions
Settings.IncludeFieldNameConstants	A const string per property holding its own name
Settings.IncludeGeneratorVersionInCode	The generator version. Needs ShowLicenseInfo too
Settings.InterfaceFolder	Sub-folder for the interface
Settings.InterfaceNamespace	A using for where the interface lives
Settings.MappingTableRename	Name collections from a many-to-many table
Settings.MergeMultipleStoredProcModelsIfAllSame	Collapses identical result sets into one
Settings.Namespace	The namespace all generated code goes into
Settings.NullableReverseNavigationProperties	Nullable reverse navigation on one-to-one
Settings.NullableShortHand	int? rather than Nullable<int>
Settings.OnConfiguration	EF Core. Connection string, IConfiguration, or nothing
Settings.OrderProperties	Column order or alphabetical
Settings.OwnedEntityFolder	Sub-folder for owned entity classes
Settings.PocoConfigurationFolder	Sub-folder for the configuration classes
Settings.PocoConfigurationNamespace	A using for where the configurations live
Settings.PocoFolder	Sub-folder for the entity classes
Settings.PocoNamespace	A using for where the entities live
Settings.PrependSchemaName	sales.Order becomes sales_Order
Settings.PrependSchemaNameForStoredProcedure	Per-procedure control of the above
Settings.PrependSchemaNameForTable	Per-table control of the above
Settings.ReadStoredProcReturnObjectCompleted	Adjust a discovered result shape
Settings.ReadStoredProcReturnObjectException	Handle a failed result-shape discovery
Settings.ResultClassModifiers	Modifiers on stored procedure return models
Settings.Root	The folder holding your .tt file. Read-only
Settings.ShowLicenseInfo	Licence details in the file header
Settings.StoredProcedureRename	Rename the generated method
Settings.StoredProcedureReturnModelRename	Rename the generated result class
Settings.StoredProcedureReturnTypes	Return an entity you already have
Settings.TableRename	Rename a table before anything else happens to it
Settings.TableSuffix	Appends a suffix to every entity class name
Settings.TemplateFile	The .tt file name. Read-only
Settings.TemplateType	Which code templates to use. Match your EF version, not your .NET version
Settings.TrimCharFields	EF Core. TrimEnd() on char columns
Settings.UpdateColumn	Rename, retype, hide or annotate a column
Settings.UpdateEnum	Attributes on the generated enum
Settings.UpdateEnumMember	Attributes on each enum member
Settings.UpdateTable	Base classes, attributes, or drop the table
Settings.UseDataAnnotations	Adds [Key], [Required], [MaxLength] and friends
Settings.UseFileScopedNamespaces	namespace X; instead of namespace X { }
Settings.UseFolderNameInNamespace	Makes the namespace follow the output folder
Settings.UseInheritedBaseInterfaceFunctions	Take the interface members from a base interface instead
Settings.UseLazyLoading	Marks navigation properties virtual
Settings.UseMappingTables	EF 6. Map many-to-many implicitly
Settings.UseNamespace	Suppresses the namespace declaration entirely
Settings.UsePascalCase	order_line_item becomes OrderLineItem
Settings.UsePascalCaseForEnumMembers	The same, for enum member names
Settings.UsePragma	#pragma warning disable 1591
Settings.UsePrivateSetterForComputedColumns	private set; on computed columns
Settings.UsePropertiesForStoredProcResultSets	Properties rather than fields on multi-result-set models
Settings.UsePropertyInitialisers	Property initialisers instead of a constructor
Settings.UseRegions	#region blocks in single-file output
Settings.UseResharper	// ReSharper disable All. On by default
Settings.ViewProcessing	Declare which columns identify a row in a view
Settings.WriteInsideClassBody	Inject C# into every entity class