CSharpener - C# Code Analysis

CSharpener is a Roslyn-based static analysis tool that analyzes C# codebases to build call graphs, identify unused code, and help with refactoring decisions.

Executable Location

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe

Note: If the Y: drive is not available, the source code can be built from:

•GitHub: https://github.com/lawless-m/CSharpener
•Build: dotnet build -c Release
•Output: CSharpCallGraphAnalyzer\bin\Release\net9.0\win-x64\csharp-analyzer.exe

Available Commands

1. analyze - Full Analysis

Performs comprehensive analysis including call graph, unused methods, and statistics.

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe analyze --solution <path> --format console

Options:

•--solution, -s (required): Path to .sln or .csproj file
•--format, -f: Output format (json, console, dot, graphviz, html) [default: json]
•--output, -o: Output file path (stdout if not specified)
•--include-call-graph: Include full call graph in output [default: true]
•--exclude-namespace: Namespaces to exclude from analysis

2. unused - Find Unused Methods

Quickly scans for potentially unused methods with confidence levels.

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe unused --solution <path> --format console

Options:

•--solution, -s (required): Path to .sln or .csproj file
•--format, -f: Output format (json, console, dot, graphviz) [default: json]
•--output, -o: Output file path
•--exclude-namespace: Namespaces to exclude

Confidence Levels:

•High: Private methods never called (safe to remove)
•Medium: Internal methods not called within assembly
•Low: Public methods (might be external API, use with caution)

3. callers - Find Who Calls a Method

Finds all methods that call a specific method.

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe callers --solution <path> --method <method-name> --format console

Options:

•--solution, -s (required): Path to .sln or .csproj file
•--method, -m (required): Fully qualified or partial method name to search for
•--format, -f: Output format [default: json]

Example:

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe callers -s MySolution.sln -m "BuildCallGraphAsync" -f console

4. dependencies - Find Method Dependencies

Finds all methods that a specific method calls (its dependencies).

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe dependencies --solution <path> --method <method-name> --format console

Options:

•--solution, -s (required): Path to .sln or .csproj file
•--method, -m (required): Method name to analyze
•--format, -f: Output format [default: json]

5. impact - Analyze Removal Impact

Analyzes what would break if you removed a method (safety check before deletion).

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe impact --solution <path> --method <method-name> --format console

Options:

•--solution, -s (required): Path to .sln or .csproj file
•--method, -m (required): Method to analyze
•--format, -f: Output format [default: json]

Shows:

•Direct callers (methods that immediately call this method)
•Transitive callers (methods that indirectly depend on it)
•Entry points affected (would break Main methods or public APIs)

6. document - Generate Documentation

Generates HTML documentation with cross-referenced code, call graphs, and navigation.

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe document --solution <path> --output docs/analysis.html

Options:

•--solution, -s (required): Path to .sln or .csproj file
•--output, -o (required): Output HTML file path
•--include-unused: Include unused methods in documentation
•--include-tests: Include test projects

Usage Examples for Claude

Example 1: Find Unused Methods

User Request: "Find unused methods in my solution"

Claude Action:

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe unused --solution "C:\path\to\solution.sln" --format console

Interpretation:

•High confidence = Safe to delete
•Medium confidence = Review carefully
•Low confidence = Might be public API, investigate before removing

Example 2: Analyze Impact Before Deletion

User Request: "What would break if I deleted the ProcessData method?"

Claude Action:

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe impact --solution "C:\path\to\solution.sln" --method "ProcessData" --format console

Interpretation:

•0 direct callers = Safe to delete
•Entry points affected > 0 = Breaking change, requires API updates
•Many transitive callers = Ripple effect, consider refactoring instead

Example 3: Find Who Uses a Method

User Request: "Who calls the BuildAsync method?"

Claude Action:

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe callers --solution "C:\path\to\solution.sln" --method "BuildAsync" --format console

Example 4: Generate Documentation

User Request: "Generate HTML documentation for my project"

Claude Action:

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe document --solution "C:\path\to\solution.sln" --output docs/csharpener-analysis.html

Then open the generated HTML file in a browser.

Example 5: Full Analysis

User Request: "Analyze my solution and show me statistics"

Claude Action:

bash

Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe analyze --solution "C:\path\to\solution.sln" --format console

Performance Tips

•First Run Creates Cache: Initial analysis is slow, subsequent runs are faster
•Exclude Test Projects: Use --exclude-namespace "*.Tests,*.Test" for large solutions
•Cache Location: .csharpener-cache/ in solution directory (can be deleted to force refresh)
•Large Solutions: Analyze individual projects instead of full solution for faster results

Common Patterns

Refactoring Workflow

•Find unused methods: unused --solution MySolution.sln
•For each suspicious method, check impact: impact --method MethodName
•If safe (0 callers), delete the method
•Repeat until clean

Understanding Code Flow

•Start with entry points: callers --method Main
•Explore dependencies: dependencies --method ProcessRequest
•Generate visualization: analyze --format dot (use Graphviz to render)

Code Review

•Generate documentation: document --output review.html
•Share HTML file with team
•Review unused methods list together
•Make cleanup decisions

Troubleshooting

"Solution file not found"

•Use absolute paths, not relative
•Ensure .sln or .csproj file exists
•Check for typos in path

"No methods found"

•Solution might not be building
•Try dotnet build first to ensure it compiles
•Check that it's a C# project (not F#, VB.NET, etc.)

Analysis Taking Too Long

•Exclude test projects with --exclude-namespace
•Analyze smaller projects first
•Check for large auto-generated code files

"Method not found" in callers/dependencies

•Use partial names (e.g., "BuildAsync" instead of full qualified name)
•Method name is case-insensitive
•Try shortening the method name

Output Formats

•console: Human-readable output for terminal
•json: Machine-readable for scripting/automation
•html: Interactive documentation (document command only)
•dot: Graphviz format for visualization
•graphviz: Same as dot

Integration with CI/CD

yaml

# Example GitHub Actions workflow
- name: Analyze for unused code
  run: |
    Y:\CSharpDLLs\CSharpener\CSharpener.exe unused \
      --solution MySolution.sln \
      --format json \
      --output unused-methods.json

- name: Upload results
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
  with:
    name: code-analysis
    path: unused-methods.json

Notes

•CSharpener uses Roslyn for analysis (same as Visual Studio)
•Detects reflection usage and warns about false positives
•Recognizes DI patterns (AddTransient, AddScoped, etc.)
•Thread-safe and can be run in parallel on different solutions
•Cache is solution-specific and invalidates on file changes

Support

•GitHub: https://github.com/lawless-m/CSharpener
•Issues: https://github.com/lawless-m/CSharpener/issues