Generated Artifacts and Runtime

AXSG is not just a compiler. It produces generated C# plus runtime metadata and helper contracts that let the app, hot reload, and tooling understand the generated tree.

Artifact categories

Generated partial classes

These contain the object-graph construction code, initialization paths, helper methods for bindings/events, and generated partial hooks that match the authored XAML document.

Runtime descriptors and registries

The compiler emits metadata that the runtime uses for:

source-to-type mapping
include/resource graph tracking
hot reload state transfer
name/source info lookup
inline code and resource-resolution helpers

Build and analyzer payloads

The generator and build targets are shipped separately from the runtime because compile-time and runtime responsibilities are distinct.

Why the runtime exists at all

Pure generated code is not enough for the full AXSG feature set. The runtime layer is used for:

hot reload and hot design coordination
runtime fallback for unsupported or intentionally deferred paths
source-info and type registries
inline code/resource helpers that generated code can call deterministically

Package split

XamlToCSharpGenerator.Runtime is the umbrella runtime package
XamlToCSharpGenerator.Runtime.Core contains framework-neutral contracts and registries
XamlToCSharpGenerator.Runtime.Avalonia contains Avalonia-specific runtime integration

Design rule

The runtime should support generated output; it should not replace the compiler. If a feature can be lowered deterministically into generated code, that path stays preferred over late runtime interpretation.