Added overloads for simplified func-based activity and orchestrator registration #589

cgillum · 2025-12-22T22:03:31Z

Summary

What changed?

Added new overloads for func-based activity and orchestrator registration.

For example, instead of doing this all the time:

static string SendEmail(TaskActivityContext context, string message)
{
    // ...
}

registry.AddActivityFunc<string, string>(nameof(SendEmail), SendEmail);

I can now do this:

[DurableTask(nameof(SendEmail))] // <-- optional
static string SendEmail(TaskActivityContext context, string message)
{
    // ...
}

registry.AddActivityFunc<string, string>(SendEmail);

Why is this change needed?

The current methods are verbose and require writing repetitive code. I found it quite annoying when creating samples.

Issues / work items

There are no work items associated with this PR

Project checklist

Release notes are not required for the next release
- Otherwise: Notes added to release_notes.md
Backport is not required
- Otherwise: Backport tracked by issue/PR #issue_or_pr
All required tests have been added/updated (unit tests, E2E tests)
Breaking change? (no)
- If yes:
  - Impact:
  - Migration guidance:

AI-assisted code disclosure (required)

Was an AI tool used? (select one)

No
Yes, AI helped write parts of this PR (e.g., GitHub Copilot)
Yes, an AI agent generated most of this PR

If AI was used:

Tool(s): GitHub Copilot /w Claude Opus 4.5
AI-assisted areas/files: I don't know what this means?
What you changed after AI output: Nothing that I can specifically remember

AI verification (required if AI was used):

I understand the code and can explain it
I verified referenced APIs/types exist and are correct
I reviewed edge cases/failure paths (timeouts, retries, cancellation, exceptions)
I reviewed concurrency/async behavior
I checked for unintended breaking or behavior changes

Testing

Automated tests

Result: Passed

Manual validation (only if runtime/behavior changed)

N/A

Notes for reviewers

N/A

…egistration

cgillum · 2025-12-23T18:16:03Z

src/Abstractions/DurableTaskRegistry.Activities.cs

+        DurableTaskAttribute? attribute = method.GetCustomAttribute<DurableTaskAttribute>();
+        if (attribute?.Name.Name is not null and not "")
+        {
+            return attribute.Name;


I don't really see how it's possible for attribute to ever be null here, assuming it's not shared state that can be accessed (and mutated) by multiple threads concurrently (something we're not doing).

src/Abstractions/DurableTaskRegistry.Orchestrators.cs

+        DurableTaskAttribute? attribute = method.GetCustomAttribute<DurableTaskAttribute>();
+        if (attribute?.Name.Name is not null and not "")
+        {
+            return attribute.Name;


Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR adds simplified overloads for func-based activity and orchestrator registration, allowing developers to omit the explicit name parameter. The name is automatically inferred from either a [DurableTask] attribute on the method or the method name itself, reducing boilerplate when registering tasks.

Key changes:

Added 8 new overloads each for AddOrchestratorFunc and AddActivityFunc that infer task names from delegates
Extended DurableTaskAttribute to support method-level application for custom naming
Comprehensive test coverage for all new overload variations including lambda detection

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`src/Abstractions/DurableTaskRegistry.Orchestrators.cs`	Added 8 new AddOrchestratorFunc overloads with name inference and GetTaskNameFromDelegate helper method
`src/Abstractions/DurableTaskRegistry.Activities.cs`	Added 8 new AddActivityFunc overloads with name inference and GetActivityNameFromDelegate helper method
`src/Abstractions/DurableTaskAttribute.cs`	Extended AttributeUsage to support methods and updated documentation to reflect method usage
`test/Worker/Core.Tests/DurableTaskRegistryTests.Orchestrators.cs`	Added 10 new test cases covering all orchestrator overload variations and error conditions
`test/Worker/Core.Tests/DurableTaskRegistryTests.Activities.cs`	Added 10 new test cases covering all activity overload variations and error conditions
`src/Abstractions/Entities/TaskEntity.cs`	Added string type validation for entity state (unrelated to PR purpose)
`misc/misc.csproj`	Added Directory.Packages.* to project includes (unrelated to PR purpose)

Copilot · 2025-12-22T22:08:27Z

src/Abstractions/Entities/TaskEntity.cs

+        // Throw if TState is a string, since strings are immutable and don't support dynamic creation of new instances.
+        if (typeof(TState) == typeof(string))
+        {
+            throw new InvalidOperationException("Entity state cannot be a string. Use a class or struct instead.");
+        }
+


This validation for string entity state appears to be unrelated to the PR's stated purpose of adding simplified func-based activity and orchestrator registration. This change should be removed or moved to a separate PR focused on entity state validation.

Suggested change

// Throw if TState is a string, since strings are immutable and don't support dynamic creation of new instances.

if (typeof(TState) == typeof(string))

{

throw new InvalidOperationException("Entity state cannot be a string. Use a class or struct instead.");

}

This is something I ran into when doing some unrelated prototyping and wanted to create a fix while it was on the top of my mind. I could make it into a separate PR, but not sure if it's really worth it.

Copilot · 2025-12-22T22:08:27Z

src/Abstractions/DurableTaskRegistry.Orchestrators.cs

+    static TaskName GetTaskNameFromDelegate(Delegate @delegate)
+    {
+        MethodInfo method = @delegate.Method;
+
+        // Check for DurableTaskAttribute on the method
+        DurableTaskAttribute? attribute = method.GetCustomAttribute<DurableTaskAttribute>();
+        if (attribute?.Name.Name is not null and not "")
+        {
+            return attribute.Name;
+        }
+
+        // Fall back to method name
+        string? methodName = method.Name;
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(methodName) || methodName.StartsWith("<", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+        {
+            throw new ArgumentException(
+                "Cannot infer orchestrator name from the delegate. The delegate must either have a " +
+                "[DurableTask] attribute with a name, or be a named method (not a lambda or anonymous delegate).",
+                nameof(@delegate));
+        }
+
+        return new TaskName(methodName);
+    }


The GetTaskNameFromDelegate and GetActivityNameFromDelegate methods have identical implementations. Consider extracting this logic into a shared private static method in a common location to reduce code duplication and improve maintainability.

Copilot · 2025-12-22T22:08:28Z

src/Abstractions/DurableTaskAttribute.cs

 /// <see cref="TaskOrchestrator{TInput, TOutput}"/>, <see cref="TaskActivity{TInput, TOutput}"/>,
 /// or TaskEntity{TState} from the Microsoft.DurableTask.Entities namespace.
+/// It can also be applied to methods used with <see cref="DurableTaskRegistry.AddOrchestratorFunc{TInput, TOutput}(System.Func{TaskOrchestrationContext, TInput, System.Threading.Tasks.Task{TOutput}})"/>
+/// or similar overloads to specify a custom name for the orchestrator.


The documentation mentions "orchestrator" specifically but this attribute can now also be applied to activity methods. The documentation should mention both orchestrators and activities to be more accurate and helpful.

Suggested change

/// or similar overloads to specify a custom name for the orchestrator.

/// or similar overloads to specify a custom name for the orchestrator or activity.

Copilot · 2025-12-22T22:08:28Z

misc/misc.csproj

    <None Include="$(RepoRoot).gitignore" />
    <None Include="$(RepoRoot)azure-pipelines-release.yml" />
    <None Include="$(RepoRoot)Directory.Build.*" />
+    <None Include="$(RepoRoot)Directory.Packages.*" />


This change to include Directory.Packages.* appears unrelated to the PR's stated purpose of adding simplified func-based activity and orchestrator registration. This should be removed or moved to a separate PR if it's intended to be a general maintenance improvement.

Suggested change

<None Include="$(RepoRoot)Directory.Packages.*" />

I'm going to keep this in here since it's not worth creating a separate PR for.

Added overloads for simplified func-based activity and orchestrator r…

14f0ee6

…egistration

cgillum requested review from halspang and jviau December 22, 2025 22:03

cgillum self-assigned this Dec 22, 2025

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings December 22, 2025 22:03

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of cgillum December 22, 2025 22:04 View session

github-code-quality bot found potential problems Dec 22, 2025

View reviewed changes

Copilot AI reviewed Dec 22, 2025

View reviewed changes

Merge branch 'main' into cgillum/registry-overloads

5be1929

cgillum requested a review from YunchuWang December 22, 2025 22:17

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

Uh oh!

Added overloads for simplified func-based activity and orchestrator registration #589

Added overloads for simplified func-based activity and orchestrator registration #589

Uh oh!

cgillum commented Dec 22, 2025

Uh oh!

cgillum Dec 23, 2025

Uh oh!

Copilot AI left a comment

Uh oh!

Copilot AI Dec 22, 2025

Uh oh!

cgillum Dec 23, 2025

Uh oh!

Copilot AI Dec 22, 2025

Uh oh!

Copilot AI Dec 22, 2025

Uh oh!

Copilot AI Dec 22, 2025

Uh oh!

cgillum Dec 23, 2025

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

2 participants

	/// or similar overloads to specify a custom name for the orchestrator.
	/// or similar overloads to specify a custom name for the orchestrator or activity.

Added overloads for simplified func-based activity and orchestrator registration #589

Are you sure you want to change the base?

Added overloads for simplified func-based activity and orchestrator registration #589

Uh oh!

Conversation

cgillum commented Dec 22, 2025

Summary

What changed?

Why is this change needed?

Issues / work items

There are no work items associated with this PR

Project checklist

AI-assisted code disclosure (required)

Was an AI tool used? (select one)

Testing

Automated tests

Manual validation (only if runtime/behavior changed)

Notes for reviewers

Uh oh!

cgillum Dec 23, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Copilot AI left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Pull request overview

Reviewed changes

Uh oh!

Copilot AI Dec 22, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

cgillum Dec 23, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Copilot AI Dec 22, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Copilot AI Dec 22, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Copilot AI Dec 22, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

cgillum Dec 23, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

2 participants