Options Binding

The [Options] attribute provides automatic configuration binding for your options classes, integrating with Microsoft's Options pattern.

Quick Start

using NexusLabs.Needlr.Generators;

[Options]
public class CacheSettings
{
    public int TimeoutSeconds { get; set; } = 300;
    public int MaxItems { get; set; } = 1000;
}

// appsettings.json
{
  "CacheSettings": {
    "TimeoutSeconds": 600,
    "MaxItems": 5000
  }
}

The generator automatically: 1. Binds your options class to the configuration section 2. Registers it with the DI container 3. Makes it available via IOptions<CacheSettings>, IOptionsSnapshot<CacheSettings>, or IOptionsMonitor<CacheSettings>

Section Name

Convention-Based (Default)

By default, the section name is inferred from the class name:

Class Name	Section Name
CacheSettings	CacheSettings
DatabaseOptions	DatabaseOptions
SmtpConfiguration	SmtpConfiguration

Explicit Section Name

Specify a custom section name:

[Options("MyApp:Database")]
public class DatabaseOptions
{
    public string ConnectionString { get; set; } = "";
}

{
  "MyApp": {
    "Database": {
      "ConnectionString": "Server=..."
    }
  }
}

Named Options

For multiple configurations of the same type, use named options:

[Options("Databases:Primary", Name = "Primary")]
public class DatabaseOptions
{
    public string ConnectionString { get; set; } = "";
}

[Options("Databases:Replica", Name = "Replica")]
public class ReplicaDatabaseOptions : DatabaseOptions { }

Retrieve named options using IOptionsSnapshot<T> or IOptionsMonitor<T>:

public class MyService
{
    public MyService(IOptionsSnapshot<DatabaseOptions> options)
    {
        var primary = options.Get("Primary");
        var replica = options.Get("Replica");
    }
}

Validation

Data Annotations

Use standard System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations attributes:

using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;

[Options(ValidateOnStart = true)]
public class ApiSettings
{
    [Required]
    public string ApiKey { get; set; } = "";

    [Range(1, 300)]
    public int TimeoutSeconds { get; set; } = 30;

    [Url]
    public string BaseUrl { get; set; } = "";
}

When ValidateOnStart = true, the application will fail to start if validation fails.

Custom Validation Method

Add a Validate() method to your options class:

[Options(ValidateOnStart = true)]
public class StripeOptions
{
    public string ApiKey { get; set; } = "";
    public bool IsProduction { get; set; }

    // Convention: method named "Validate" is auto-discovered
    public IEnumerable<ValidationError> Validate()
    {
        if (IsProduction && !ApiKey.StartsWith("sk_live_"))
            yield return "Production requires a live API key";

        if (!IsProduction && !ApiKey.StartsWith("sk_test_"))
            yield return "Test mode requires a test API key";
    }
}

Custom Method Name

Use a different method name with ValidateMethod:

[Options(ValidateOnStart = true, ValidateMethod = nameof(CheckConfiguration))]
public class EmailOptions
{
    public string SmtpHost { get; set; } = "";

    public IEnumerable<ValidationError> CheckConfiguration()
    {
        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(SmtpHost))
            yield return "SMTP host is required";
    }
}

External Validator

Delegate validation to a separate class:

[Options(ValidateOnStart = true, Validator = typeof(PaymentOptionsValidator))]
public class PaymentOptions
{
    public string MerchantId { get; set; } = "";
    public decimal MinAmount { get; set; }
    public decimal MaxAmount { get; set; }
}

public class PaymentOptionsValidator : IOptionsValidator<PaymentOptions>
{
    public IEnumerable<ValidationError> Validate(PaymentOptions options)
    {
        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(options.MerchantId))
            yield return "MerchantId is required";

        if (options.MinAmount >= options.MaxAmount)
            yield return "MinAmount must be less than MaxAmount";
    }
}

FluentValidation Integration

If you're using FluentValidation, validators are automatically discovered:

[Options("Database", ValidateOnStart = true, Validator = typeof(DatabaseOptionsValidator))]
public class DatabaseOptions
{
    public string ConnectionString { get; set; } = "";
    public int MaxPoolSize { get; set; } = 100;
}

public class DatabaseOptionsValidator : AbstractValidator<DatabaseOptions>
{
    public DatabaseOptionsValidator()
    {
        RuleFor(x => x.ConnectionString)
            .NotEmpty()
            .WithMessage("Connection string is required");

        RuleFor(x => x.MaxPoolSize)
            .InclusiveBetween(1, 1000);
    }
}

For more details on FluentValidation integration, see the Advanced Usage guide.

Attribute Properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
SectionName	string?	Class name	Configuration section to bind
Name	string?	null	Named options identifier
ValidateOnStart	bool	false	Validate at application startup
ValidateMethod	string?	"Validate"	Custom validation method name
Validator	Type?	null	External validator type

Generated Code

The [Options] attribute causes the generator to emit registration code in TypeRegistry.RegisterOptions():

// Generated code (simplified)
public static void RegisterOptions(IServiceCollection services, IConfiguration configuration)
{
    // Without validation
    services.Configure<CacheSettings>(configuration.GetSection("CacheSettings"));

    // With validation
    services.AddOptions<ApiSettings>()
        .BindConfiguration("ApiSettings")
        .ValidateDataAnnotations()
        .ValidateOnStart();
}

Consuming Options

Inject options using standard Microsoft.Extensions.Options patterns:

public class MyService
{
    private readonly CacheSettings _settings;

    // Option 1: IOptions<T> - singleton, doesn't reload
    public MyService(IOptions<CacheSettings> options)
    {
        _settings = options.Value;
    }

    // Option 2: IOptionsSnapshot<T> - scoped, reloads per request
    public MyService(IOptionsSnapshot<CacheSettings> options)
    {
        _settings = options.Value;
    }

    // Option 3: IOptionsMonitor<T> - singleton, live reload
    public MyService(IOptionsMonitor<CacheSettings> options)
    {
        _settings = options.CurrentValue;
        options.OnChange(newValue => { /* handle reload */ });
    }
}

Immutable Options

The [Options] attribute supports immutable options patterns, including init-only properties and records with init properties.

Init-Only Properties

[Options("Cache")]
public class CacheOptions
{
    public required string Host { get; init; }
    public int Port { get; init; } = 6379;
    public int TimeoutMs { get; init; } = 5000;
}

Records with Init Properties

[Options("Redis")]
public record RedisOptions
{
    public string Host { get; init; } = "localhost";
    public int Port { get; init; } = 6379;
}

Configuration Reload with Immutable Types

Immutable types work correctly with IOptionsMonitor<T> for configuration reload. When the configuration file changes:

1. A new instance is created with the updated values
2. IOptionsMonitor<T>.CurrentValue returns the new instance
3. OnChange() callbacks receive the new instance

public class CacheService
{
    private readonly IOptionsMonitor<CacheOptions> _options;

    public CacheService(IOptionsMonitor<CacheOptions> options)
    {
        _options = options;

        // React to configuration changes
        options.OnChange(newOptions =>
        {
            // newOptions is a new immutable instance
            Console.WriteLine($"Cache timeout changed to {newOptions.TimeoutMs}ms");
        });
    }

    public CacheOptions CurrentConfig => _options.CurrentValue;
}

Positional Records

Positional records (records with primary constructor parameters) are supported when declared as partial:

// ✅ WORKS - partial positional record
[Options("Redis")]
public partial record RedisOptions(string Host, int Port);

// ✅ WORKS - init-only properties (no partial needed)
[Options("Redis")]
public record RedisOptions
{
    public string Host { get; init; } = "";
    public int Port { get; init; } = 6379;
}

When you use partial, Needlr generates a parameterless constructor that chains to the primary constructor:

// Generated code:
public partial record RedisOptions
{
    public RedisOptions() : this(string.Empty, default) { }
}

This enables Microsoft's configuration binder to instantiate the record.

⚠️ Non-partial positional records will emit warning NDLRGEN021 because they cannot work with configuration binding at runtime.

AOT Compatibility

⚠️ Important: The [Options] attribute is not compatible with Native AOT.

The generated code uses Configure<T>() and BindConfiguration() which rely on reflection for property binding. These APIs have [RequiresDynamicCode] attributes, making them incompatible with AOT compilation.

If your project has PublishAot=true or IsAotCompatible=true, the generator will emit error NDLRGEN020.

Workaround for AOT projects: Bind configuration manually:

public class CacheSettings
{
    public int TimeoutSeconds { get; set; }

    public static CacheSettings FromConfiguration(IConfiguration config)
    {
        var section = config.GetSection("CacheSettings");
        return new CacheSettings
        {
            TimeoutSeconds = section.GetValue<int>("TimeoutSeconds")
        };
    }
}

// In startup:
var settings = CacheSettings.FromConfiguration(configuration);
services.AddSingleton(Microsoft.Extensions.Options.Options.Create(settings));

Analyzers

The following analyzers help catch common mistakes:

Analyzer	Severity	Description
NDLRGEN014	Error	Validator type has no validation method
NDLRGEN015	Error	Validator type mismatch
NDLRGEN016	Error	Validation method not found
NDLRGEN017	Error	Validation method has wrong signature
NDLRGEN018	Warning	Validator won't run (ValidateOnStart is false)
NDLRGEN019	Warning	Validation method won't run (ValidateOnStart is false)
NDLRGEN020	Error	[Options] is not compatible with Native AOT
NDLRGEN021	Warning	Positional record must be partial for [Options]

Best Practices

1. Always validate in production: Use ValidateOnStart = true to fail fast on misconfiguration

2. Use strongly-typed sections: Prefer explicit section names over relying on conventions when your config structure is complex

3. Separate validation logic: Use external validators for complex validation rules to keep options classes clean

4. Document required settings: Use [Required] and XML comments to make configuration requirements clear

5. Provide sensible defaults: Initialize properties with default values for optional settings

See Also

• Getting Started
• Analyzers Reference