Create Projects with JustDecompile

by Just* Team | Comments 7

The most requested feature on UserVoice for JustDecompile was the ability to create a Visual Studio project from an assembly, and the latest version gives you that capability. This is useful for exporting lost projects or obtaining multiple classes without the need to copy and paste code.

Let’s take a look at how it works. Open JustDecompile.

JustDecompileGUI

Select the assembly you’re interested in. You can use the Create Project feature in one of two ways: the button on the menu bar or by right-clicking an assembly.

JustDecompileCreateProject

 

You will then need to select a folder in which to save the project. A dialog will appear and list the files as they’re exported.

JustDecompileExport

The files are saved to subfolders based on namespace. This is necessary to prevent naming conflicts, and it provides a better arrangement in Solution Explorer for finding files.

Issues with decompiling files will be listed in the dialog. I chose a small project that causes issues for every decompiler. JustDecompile exported everything.

JustDecompile does an excellent job on decompiling the code, but it may require some cleanup depending on the code’s complexity.  _Module.cs_ should be removed, and I found a few compiler generated classes hanging around in the project. One thing is clear: had this been a lost project, JustDecompile would have saved me a ton of work.

This product has come a long way since its original beta release several months ago, and it keeps getting better with each iteration. Download JustDecompile today: it’s free for everyone, forever!

About the author

Chris Eargle

Chris Eargle

is a Telerik Technical Evangelist and Microsoft C# MVP with over a decade of experience designing and developing enterprise applications, and he runs the local .NET User Group: the Columbia Enterprise Developers Guild. He is a frequent guest of conferences and community events promoting best practices and new technologies. Chris is a native Carolinian; his family settled the Dutch Form region of South Carolina in 1752. He currently resides in Columbia with his wife, Binyue, his dog, Laika, and his three cats: Meeko, Tigger, and Sookie. Amazingly, they all get along... except for Meeko, who is by no means meek.

Posted in: justdecompile

7 Comments

Akber
I downloaded this version, and you know what the Create Project button is disabled. What is it. The project DLL are for vs2003.
Why it not show the create project button enabled???        
Vladimir Dragoev
Hi Akber,
I'm sorry for the late reply. The Create Project button can be disabled if you decompile the assemblies in VB.NET or IL. If this is the case, please change your target language to C# as we create projects only for C#. Let me know if this works for you.
Kind regards,
Vladi
The Telerik team
Tobias
Why is the create project button disabled (for Compact Framework Executables)? Also C# ...
Vladimir Dragoev
Hi Tobias,
The "Create Project" button can be disabled if there is no selection in the assembly tree view on the left. But if you select any node and the decompiled code is C#, the button should be active. Please let me know if this is your case or it is something else. You can also use our forum to post this issue: http://www.telerik.com/community/forums/justdecompile.aspx 
Thanks,
Vladi
The Telerik Team
Erik
Why don't you support creating VB projects?
avi

hi,

I tried to decompile a ASP.NET 1.1 web application using CREATE PROJECT. But after creating project i could see _default.resx and _default.designer.cs.

 

Did i make any mistakes while creating project?

Regards,
Avi

Vladi
Thank you for your questions!

@Erik, I'm sorry for the slow reply. We just didn't have enough time and resources to build the create project feature for VB.NET as well. There is a UserVoice idea, suggested by our users. You can vote for it. If it gets enough votes, we'll add it in our to-do list.

@avi, can you please submit your question with more details (like what you expect to be generated and what not) in our forum? We'll answer you asap.

Kind regards,
Vladi
The Telerik team

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