C# Expression Editor & IntelliSense

In previous versions, akaBot Studio only supported VB.NET as the project expression language when creating a new automation project. With the latest update, akaBot Studio has added full support for the C# language. You can now build workflows, assign variables, set conditions, and write LINQ queries using C# syntax.

This guide walks you through creating a C# project, using the C# Expression Editor, understanding the C# IntelliSense features, and migrating legacy projects.

How to Create a New C# Project

To create a new project with C# as the expression language, follow these steps:

1. Open akaBot Studio, and click New Project on the Start screen to open the New Blank Project dialog.

   

2. Fill in the project Name and Location. Under the Expression Language setting, select C#.

3. Click Create to initialize the project. Once created successfully, the project workspace opens. The status bar at the bottom displays Expression Language: C#, indicating that C# is active for the current project.

   

Migration from project.json to project.v1.json

Why Migrate?

In older versions of akaBot Studio, the project configuration was stored in project.json, which did not have a field to specify the project expression language (as all projects defaulted to VB.NET).

To support multiple expression languages (VB.NET and C#) and manage other compatibility features, akaBot Studio now uses the project.v1.json format. When you open a legacy project, the Studio detects the older format and prompts you to migrate. The new configuration file includes the "expressionLanguage" property (e.g., "expressionLanguage": "CSharp" or "expressionLanguage": "VisualBasic").

Project Migration Settings

You can control how migrations behave in akaBot Studio. Go to File → Options, select the Common tab, and locate the Project Migration section at the bottom.

Here, you can configure two options:

• Confirm Project Migration:
  • Checked: Studio shows a confirmation dialog before migrating. If you confirm, the migration proceeds.
  • Unchecked: Legacy projects are automatically migrated silently without any popup dialog.
• Remove Old Project File:
  • Checked: The old project.json file is deleted after a successful migration to project.v1.json, keeping your project workspace clean.
  • Unchecked: Both project.json and the migrated project.v1.json are kept in the folder.

The C# Expression Editor

The C# Expression Editor opens whenever you edit an expression field inside an activity (such as the Value field of an Assign activity). It acts as a code editor with support for syntax highlighting, error validation, bracket matching, and IntelliSense.

C# expressions follow standard C# syntax rules. Here is a quick comparison of common operations:

Operation	C#	VB.NET
String concatenation	"Hello " + name	"Hello " & name
String comparison	name == "Admin"	name = "Admin"
Not equal	status != "Done"	status <> "Done"
Null check	value == null	value Is Nothing
Ternary operator	success ? "OK" : "Error"	If(success, "OK", "Error")

C# IntelliSense Features

C# IntelliSense provides real-time help as you type, facilitating faster and error-free development.

1. Suggest Parameters for Variables and Arguments

When typing in any expression box, IntelliSense automatically lists all active variables and arguments in the scope. It also displays the variable/argument data type (e.g. Int32, String, etc.) beside its name.

2. Suggest Functions and Overloads

Typing a dot (.) after a variable or class name suggests all available methods and properties. When you call a method by opening a parenthesis (, IntelliSense lists all the method overloads showing the parameter types and descriptions. You can use the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through available signatures.

3. LINQ Support

IntelliSense fully supports LINQ (Language Integrated Query). You can filter, map, and transform collections or data tables with full autocomplete suggestions inside lambda expressions.

LINQ on Non-Generic Collections: If you type myDataTable.Columns. and LINQ methods (like Where, Select, Count) do not appear in the IntelliSense dropdown, this is expected behavior in C#. Collections like DataColumnCollection and DataRowCollection are non-generic and do not expose LINQ extension methods directly.

• For Rows: Use .AsEnumerable() first to get a generic IEnumerable<DataRow>:

  myDataTable.AsEnumerable().Where(row => row.Field<string>("Status") == "Active")

• For Columns: Use .Cast<DataColumn>() or .OfType<DataColumn>() first:

  myDataTable.Columns.Cast<DataColumn>().Where(col => col.ColumnName.Contains("ID"))

Example LINQ Queries:

• Filtering DataTable rows:

  myDataTable.AsEnumerable().Where(row => row.Field<string>("Status") == "Active")

• Counting rows matching a condition:

  myDataTable.AsEnumerable().Count(row => row.Field<int>("Age") > 18)

• Mapping a column to a list:

  myDataTable.AsEnumerable().Select(row => row.Field<string>("Name")).ToList()

Hands-On Example

Here is a simple walkthrough showing C# expressions and IntelliSense in a standard workflow:

Variables Setup

Create two variables in the variable panel:

• v_Number (Type: Int32, Default: 5)
• v_Message (Type: String)

Workflow Steps

1. Assign Value: Add an Assign activity.
   • To: v_Number
   • Value: Type v_Number + 10
2. Format Message: Add another Assign activity.
   • To: v_Message
   • Value: Type "Result is: " + v_Number. — as soon as you type the dot ., IntelliSense list appears. Choose ToString().

     "Result is: " + v_Number.ToString()

3. Log Message: Add a Log Message activity.
   • Message: Type v_ and select v_Message from the autocomplete suggestions.

Run the project (F5). The Output panel at the bottom of Studio displays:

Result is: 15