.Net Framework Essentials

C# Compiler (csc.exe)

The following table shows some of the common usages of the C# compiler:

Option	Description
/a.keyfile:keyfilename	keyfilename specifies the key file that contains the key pair for signing the assembly.
/a.version:version	This option enables versioning of assemblies.
/debug	With this option, the compiler will emit debugging information in the output file.
/define: symbol or /d: symbol	This option is similar to C++. Use this option to define preprocessor symbols.
/doc:docname	docname is the XML output file for the autogenerated XML comment embedded in C# code.
/help	This option shows the command-line help for the C# compiler.
/main:classname	If there is more than one Main entry in different classes, you will have to specify the Main entry in which class you want the entry point of the application.
/out:filename	This option represents the output filename.
/reference: libname or /r: libname	This option allows single or multiple libraries be included with this compilation. For multiple libraries to be included, use a semicolon as the delimiter.
/target:exe|library|winexe or /t:exe|library|winexe	This option allows you to specify the type of the output: exe for console executables, library for DLLs, and winexe for Windows Form applications.
/unsafe	If you use unsafe keywords in your C# code, you will have to use this option when compiling your source.