How do I generate a constructor from class fields using Visual Studio (and/or ReSharper)?

I've gotten accustomed to many of the Java IDEs (Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA) providing you with a command to generate a default constructor for a class based on the fields in the class.

For example:

public class Example
{
    public decimal MyNumber { get; set; }
    public string Description { get; set; }
    public int SomeInteger { get; set; }

    // ↓↓↓ This is what I want generated ↓↓↓
    public Example(decimal myNumber, string description, int someInteger)
    {
        MyNumber = myNumber;
        Description = description;
        SomeInteger = someInteger;
    }
}

Having a constructor populate all of the fields of an object is such a common task in most OOP languages, I'm assuming that there is a some way for me to save time writing this boilerplate code in C#. I'm new to the C# world, so I'm wondering if I'm missing something fundamental about the language? Is there some option in Visual Studio that is obvious?


In Visual Studio 2015 Update3 I have this feature.

Just by highlighting properties and then press Ctrl + . and then press Generate Constructor.

For example, if you've highlighted two properties it will suggest you to create a constructor with two parameters and if you've selected three it will suggest one with three parameters and so on.

It also works with Visual Studio 2017 and 2019.

Auto generate shortcut visualisation


ReSharper offers a Generate Constructor tool where you can select any field/properties that you want initialized. I use the Alt + Ins hot-key to access this.


C# added a new feature in Visual Studio 2010 called generate from usage. The intent is to generate the standard code from a usage pattern. One of the features is generating a constructor based off an initialization pattern.

The feature is accessible via the smart tag that will appear when the pattern is detected.

For example, let’s say I have the following class

class MyType { 

}

And I write the following in my application

var v1 = new MyType(42);

A constructor taking an int does not exist so a smart tag will show up and one of the options will be "Generate constructor stub". Selecting that will modify the code for MyType to be the following.

class MyType {
    private int p;
    public MyType(int p) {
        // TODO: Complete member initialization
        this.p = p;
    }
}

As of Visual Studio 2017, this looks to be a built-in feature. Hit Ctrl + . while your cursor is in the class body, and select "Generate Constructor" from the Quick Actions and Refactorings dropdown.