Using Code Generation to Create an SDK

This section outlines how to use code generation to create an Ed-Fi ODS / API Client SDK using a Windows environment targeting C#. 

The high-level steps are:

Each step is outlined in detail below.

Step 1. Install Latest Version of Java

If you don't already have Java installed, navigate to https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/ and download the latest installer (Java v11 or later) and run it. In case you're wondering: the code generation leverages Java, but it does output C# code.

Step 2. Download the OpenApi Codegen JAR File

Download the latest version of the OpenApi Codegen JAR 7.2.0. Windows users can use Invoke-WebRequest in PowerShell 3.0+.

Invoke-WebRequest -OutFile openApi-codegen-cli.jar https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/openapitools/openapi-generator-cli/7.2.0/openapi-generator-cli-7.2.0.jar

For more information and download options visit https://github.com/OpenAPITools/openapi-generator.

Step 3. Generate the SDK Source Files

The SDK source files are generated using Swagger metadata via a few simple PowerShell commands. You can see the available metadata endpoints for SDK generation at https://api.ed-fi.org/v7.2/api/metadata?sdk=true. 

java -jar <openapi-generator-jar-path> generate -g csharp -i <swagger-json-url> --additional-properties targetFramework=net8.0,netCoreProjectFile=true --skip-validate-spec

A detailed description of the switch options can be found at https://github.com/OpenAPITools/openapi-generator.

To generate SDK source files, navigate to the folder containing openapi-codegen-cli.jar and run the following commands in PowerShell 3.0+ to generate C# SDK source files. You can use the unified SDK generation endpoints to combine resources, descriptors, and extensions under one namespace/directory in the generated SDK.

java -jar openApi-codegen-cli.jar generate -g csharp -i https://api.ed-fi.org/v7.2/api/metadata/data/v3/swagger.json --api-package Apis.All --model-package Models.All -o ./csharp --additional-properties packageName=EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk,targetFramework=net8.0,netCoreProjectFile=true --global-property modelTests=false --global-property apiTests=false --skip-validate-spec

java -jar openApi-codegen-cli.jar generate -g csharp -i https://api.ed-fi.org/v7.2/api/metadata/data/v3/ed-fi/swagger.json --api-package Apis.All --model-package Models.All -o ./csharp --additional-properties packageName=EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk,targetFramework=net8.0,netCoreProjectFile=true --global-property modelTests=false --global-property apiTests=false --skip-validate-spec

Alternatively, you can generate SDK with segregated namespaces for resources, descriptors, enrollment composites, and Identity API endpoints as follows:

java -jar openApi-codegen-cli.jar generate -g csharp -i https://api.ed-fi.org/v7.2/api/metadata/data/v3/resources/swagger.json --api-package Api.Resources --model-package Models.Resources  -o ./csharp --additional-properties packageName=EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk,targetFramework=net8.0,netCoreProjectFile=true --global-property modelTests=false --global-property apiTests=false --skip-validate-spec
 
java -jar openApi-codegen-cli.jar generate -g csharp -i https://api.ed-fi.org/v7.2/api/metadata/composites/v1/ed-fi/enrollment/swagger.json --api-package Api.EnrollmentComposites --model-package Models.EnrollmentComposites -o ./csharp --additional-properties packageName=EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk,targetFramework=net8.0,netCoreProjectFile=true --global-property modelTests=false --global-property apiTests=false --skip-validate-spec
 
java -jar openApi-codegen-cli.jar generate -g csharp -i https://api.ed-fi.org/v7.2/api/metadata/identity/v2/swagger.json --api-package Api.Identities --model-package Models.Identities -o ./csharp --additional-properties packageName=EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk,targetFramework=net8.0,netCoreProjectFile=true --global-property modelTests=false --global-property apiTests=false --skip-validate-spec
 
java -jar openApi-codegen-cli.jar generate -g csharp -i https://api.ed-fi.org/v7.2/api/metadata/data/v3/descriptors/swagger.json --api-package Api.Descriptors --model-package Models.Descriptors -o ./csharp --additional-properties packageName=EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk,targetFramework=net8.0,netCoreProjectFile=true --global-property modelTests=false --global-property apiTests=false --skip-validate-spec

Wait for the Swagger CodeGen to finish generating code. A Visual Studio Solution named EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk.sln will be created with the SDK artifacts.

Step 4. Use the SDK in a Sample C# Program

1. Open the generated EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk.sln in Visual Studio.
2. Download the sample Console Application project and place it in your solution directory. The download link is in the panel on the right.
   
   
3. In the Solution Explorer, right-click on the solution and add a reference to the sample project that you downloaded in the previous step.
   
   
   
4. Right-click on Edfi.OdsApi.SdkClient > Set as Startup Project..
   
   
5. Right-click EdFi.OdsApi.SdkClient Dependencies node and click Add Project Reference.
   
   
   

6. In the Add Reference > Projects tab, select EdFi.OdsApi.Sdk, and then click OK. 
   
   
   

7. Right-click EdFi.OdsApi.SdkClient > Properties > Debug > Open debug launch profiles UI and set the command line arguments that will be used while debugging the application. Use the template below. For this example you can use our hosted sandbox environment; the URL, client key and secret are in the Downloads panel on the right.

   

   --url <ODS API Base URL> --key <client key> --secret <client secret>

8. Run the application and you should see the following results:
   

With that, you're done!

This exercise leveraged a publicly available instance of the API, which contains the surface for a core implementation. If you're working with a specific platform host, a great next step is to use these same techniques to generate an SDK for that platform. If the platform host has extended the data model, your new code will automatically include those structures in the data access components in the generated code.