Introduction to the .NET Portability Analyzer

The .NET Portability Analyzer is a powerful tool designed to help developers evaluate the portability of their .NET code across various .NET implementations, including .NET Core, .NET Standard, and UWP. This article provides an in-depth guide on how to use the .NET Portability Analyzer to ensure your libraries and applications are compatible with multiple platforms.

What is the .NET Portability Analyzer?

The .NET Portability Analyzer is a console application that analyzes assemblies and provides a detailed report on .NET APIs that are missing for the applications or libraries to be portable on the specified targeted .NET platforms. The tool is available on GitHub and can be used to identify potential issues and make informed decisions about porting your code.

Common Targets for Portability

When it comes to porting your .NET code, there are several common targets to consider:

• .NET: A modular design that supports side-by-side installation and targets cross-platform scenarios.
• .NET Standard: Includes the .NET Standard APIs available on all .NET implementations.
• ASP.NET Core: A modern web framework built on .NET, ideal for porting web applications to support multiple platforms.
• .NET + Platform Extensions: Includes the .NET APIs in addition to the Windows Compatibility Pack, which provides many of the Windows-specific .NET Framework technologies.
• .NET Standard + Platform Extensions: Includes the .NET Standard APIs in addition to the Windows Compatibility Pack.

How to Use the .NET Portability Analyzer

To use the .NET Portability Analyzer, follow these steps:

1. Clone and build the dotnet-apiport project in Visual Studio 2017 or 2019.
2. Run the tool using the ApiPort.exe command, specifying the directory or file to analyze.
3. Use the -t parameter to target a specific version of .NET.
4. Include all related .exe and .dll files that you own and want to port, and exclude files that your app depends on but you don't own and can't port.

Analyzing Portability

To analyze portability, run the following command:

ApiPort.exe analyze -f .

This will analyze the current directory and provide a detailed report on the portability of your code.

Viewing and Interpreting Portability Results

The portability report will show the portability percentage for each assembly included in the run. The report will also list the APIs missing from any of the selected targeted platforms, including:

• Target type: the type has missing API from a Target Platform.
• Target member: the method is missing from a Target Platform.
• Assembly name: the .NET Framework assembly that the missing API lives in.
• Recommended Changes: the recommended API or technology to change to.

Missing Assemblies

If you find a Missing Assemblies section in your report, it means that there are assemblies referenced by your analyzed assemblies that were not analyzed. Include these assemblies in the API portability analyzer run to get a detailed, API-level portability report.

Additional Resources

For more information on the .NET Portability Analyzer, visit the GitHub documentation. You can also collaborate with the community on GitHub and create and review issues and pull requests.

Conclusion

The .NET Portability Analyzer is a powerful tool that helps developers ensure their .NET code is compatible with multiple platforms. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can use the .NET Portability Analyzer to identify potential issues and make informed decisions about porting your code. Remember to always include all related .exe and .dll files and exclude files that your app depends on but you don't own and can't port. With the .NET Portability Analyzer, you can ensure your libraries and applications are future-proof and compatible with the latest .NET implementations.

Learn more about .NET Core and ASP.NET Core.