CheapHelpers

A collection of production-ready C# utilities, extensions, and services for .NET 10.0 development. Simplify common development tasks with battle-tested helpers for Blazor, Entity Framework, networking, email, PDF generation, and more.

Packages

Package	Version	Description
CheapHelpers		Core utilities, extensions, and helpers
CheapHelpers.Models		Shared data models and DTOs
CheapHelpers.EF		Entity Framework repository pattern
CheapHelpers.Services		Business services and integrations
CheapHelpers.Blazor		Blazor components, UI utilities, and Hybrid features
CheapHelpers.Networking		Network scanning and device discovery
CheapHelpers.MAUI		MAUI platform implementations (iOS APNS, Android FCM)
CheapHelpers.MediaProcessing		FFmpeg integration, hardware detection (Windows/Linux)
CheapHelpers.Avalonia.Bridge		Desktop notification bridge for Avalonia apps

Installation

# Core utilities and extensions
dotnet add package CheapHelpers

# Entity Framework repository pattern
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.EF

# Business services (email, PDF, Azure)
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.Services

# Blazor components and Hybrid features
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.Blazor

# Network scanning and device discovery
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.Networking

# MAUI platform implementations
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.MAUI

# Media processing (FFmpeg, hardware detection)
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.MediaProcessing

# Avalonia desktop notifications bridge
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.Avalonia.Bridge

Quick Start

String Extensions

using CheapHelpers.Extensions;

"hello world".Capitalize();  // "Hello world"
"0474123456".ToInternationalPhoneNumber("BE");  // "+32474123456"
"Very long text...".ToShortString(10);  // "Very lo..."

Memory Caching

using CheapHelpers.Caching;

// Sliding expiration - items expire after 30 minutes of inactivity
using var cache = new SlidingExpirationCache<User>("UserCache", TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30));
var user = await cache.GetOrAddAsync("user:123", async key => await database.GetUserAsync(key));

Entity Framework Repository

using CheapHelpers.EF.Repositories;

public class ProductRepo : BaseRepo<Product, MyDbContext>
{
    public ProductRepo(MyDbContext context) : base(context) { }
}

var products = await productRepo.GetAllPaginatedAsync(pageIndex: 1, pageSize: 20);

Network Scanning

using CheapHelpers.Networking.Extensions;

services.AddNetworkScanning()
    .AddAllDetectors()  // UPnP, mDNS, HTTP, SSH, Windows Services
    .AddJsonStorage();

var scanner = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<INetworkScanner>();
scanner.Start();  // Background scanning

scanner.DeviceDiscovered += (device) =>
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Found: {device.Name} ({device.IPv4Address}) - {device.Type}");
};

Email with Templates

using CheapHelpers.Services.Email;

services.AddEmailService(options =>
{
    options.SmtpServer = "smtp.gmail.com";
    options.SmtpPort = 587;
});

await emailService.SendEmailAsync(
    recipient: "user@example.com",
    subject: "Welcome!",
    body: "<h1>Welcome to our app!</h1>"
);

Geocoding Services

using CheapHelpers.Services.Geocoding.Extensions;

// Configure geocoding with multiple providers
services.AddGeocodingServices(options =>
{
    options.DefaultProvider = GeocodingProvider.Mapbox;
    options.Mapbox.AccessToken = "your-mapbox-token";
    options.AzureMaps.SubscriptionKey = "your-azure-key";
    options.GoogleMaps.ApiKey = "your-google-key";
    options.PtvMaps.ApiKey = "your-ptv-key";
});

// Forward geocoding - address to coordinates
var result = await geocodingService.GeocodeAsync("1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA");
Console.WriteLine($"Coordinates: {result.Coordinate.Latitude}, {result.Coordinate.Longitude}");

// Reverse geocoding - coordinates to address
var address = await geocodingService.ReverseGeocodeAsync(37.4224764, -122.0842499);
Console.WriteLine($"Address: {address.FormattedAddress}");

// Fuzzy search/autocomplete
var results = await geocodingService.SearchAsync("main st", new GeocodingOptions
{
    Limit = 5,
    Countries = new[] { "US" }
});

Status Bar Configuration (MAUI)

// In MauiProgram.cs - ONE LINE configuration!
builder.UseMauiApp<App>()
       .UseTransparentStatusBar(StatusBarStyle.DarkContent);

// Or from any page/code
StatusBarHelper.ConfigureForLightBackground(); // Dark icons for light theme
StatusBarHelper.ConfigureForDarkBackground();  // Light icons for dark theme

// Get status bar height for layouts
var height = StatusBarHelper.GetStatusBarHeight();

Blazor Hybrid Push Notifications (MAUI)

// In MauiProgram.cs
builder.Services.AddBlazorHybridPushNotifications();
builder.Services.AddMauiPushNotifications();  // iOS APNS + Android FCM

// In your Blazor component
var status = await RegistrationManager.CheckDeviceStatusAsync(userId);
if (status == DeviceRegistrationState.NotRegistered)
{
    await RegistrationManager.RegisterDeviceAsync(userId);
}

Projects

This repository contains multiple NuGet packages, each with its own documentation:

CheapHelpers.Blazor

Blazor and Blazor Hybrid utilities including app bar components, WebView helpers, push notification abstractions, and file download utilities.

Key Features:

App Bar Component with programmatic control
Blazor Hybrid integration (MAUI, Photino, Avalonia)
Push notification abstractions (platform-agnostic)
WebView JSON parser and bridge
Download helper and clipboard service

Documentation: CheapHelpers.Blazor/Docs

CheapHelpers.MAUI

MAUI platform helpers for iOS and Android including status bar configuration, system UI helpers, and push notification implementations.

Key Features:

Cross-platform status bar configuration
Android system bars (status bar + navigation bar) with edge-to-edge support
iOS APNS and Android FCM push notification implementations
Firebase token helper with safe retrieval
Device installation service for backend registration

Documentation: CheapHelpers.MAUI/Docs

CheapHelpers

Core utilities, extensions, and helpers for everyday .NET development.

Key Features:

String extensions (capitalize, sanitize, phone numbers, truncation)
DateTime extensions (timezone conversion, business days, rounding)
Collection extensions (dynamic ordering, replacements, bindings)
Memory caching with flexible expiration strategies
Encryption helpers (machine-specific AES-256)
File helpers (secure filename generation, date-based naming)
Process execution with progress tracking

Documentation: Docs/Core

CheapHelpers.EF

Entity Framework repository pattern and extensions.

Key Features:

BaseRepo with CRUD operations and pagination
Context extensions for bulk operations
PaginatedList helper

Documentation: Docs/EF

CheapHelpers.Services

Business services and integrations for common development tasks.

Key Features:

Email service with SMTP and Fluid templates
Geocoding services with 4 providers (Mapbox, Azure Maps, Google Maps, PTV Maps)
PDF generation and optimization services
XML serialization (dynamic and strongly-typed)
Azure integration (Translation, Vision, Document services)

Documentation: Docs/Services

CheapHelpers.Networking

Network scanning and device discovery utilities.

Key Features:

Network scanner with background discovery
Device detectors (UPnP, mDNS, HTTP, SSH)
MAC address resolution (cross-platform)

Documentation: Docs/Networking

CheapHelpers.MediaProcessing

Media processing utilities for FFmpeg integration and hardware detection.

Platform Support:

Windows - Full support including SVP integration, WMI-based GPU detection, NVENC capability detection
Linux - Full support using nvidia-smi and system commands for hardware detection
macOS - Not currently supported (planned for future release)

Key Features:

FFmpeg/FFprobe executable detection with priority ordering
Hardware capability detection (GPU, NVENC encoders)
SVP (Smooth Video Project) integration (Windows only)
Process management with timeout and cancellation support
Temporary file management with automatic cleanup
Dependency installation helpers

Usage:

// Automatic platform detection
services.AddMediaProcessing();

// Or explicit platform selection
services.AddMediaProcessingWindows();  // Windows only
services.AddMediaProcessingLinux();    // Linux only

CheapHelpers.Avalonia.Bridge

Bridge package integrating CheapAvaloniaBlazor desktop notifications with CheapHelpers notification system.

Key Features:

Desktop notification adapter for Avalonia/Photino apps
Integration with CheapHelpers.Services notification system

Architecture

See Docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for overall solution architecture and separation of concerns.

Requirements

.NET 10.0 or later
C# 14.0 or later

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

git clone https://github.com/CheapNud/CheapHelpers.git
cd CheapHelpers
dotnet restore
dotnet build

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.txt file for details.

CheapHelpers

Packages

Package	Version	Description
CheapHelpers		Core utilities, extensions, and helpers
CheapHelpers.Models		Shared data models and DTOs
CheapHelpers.EF		Entity Framework repository pattern
CheapHelpers.Services		Business services and integrations
CheapHelpers.Blazor		Blazor components, UI utilities, and Hybrid features
CheapHelpers.Networking		Network scanning and device discovery
CheapHelpers.MAUI		MAUI platform implementations (iOS APNS, Android FCM)
CheapHelpers.MediaProcessing		FFmpeg integration, hardware detection (Windows/Linux)
CheapHelpers.Avalonia.Bridge		Desktop notification bridge for Avalonia apps

Installation

# Core utilities and extensions
dotnet add package CheapHelpers

# Entity Framework repository pattern
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.EF

# Business services (email, PDF, Azure)
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.Services

# Blazor components and Hybrid features
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.Blazor

# Network scanning and device discovery
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.Networking

# MAUI platform implementations
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.MAUI

# Media processing (FFmpeg, hardware detection)
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.MediaProcessing

# Avalonia desktop notifications bridge
dotnet add package CheapHelpers.Avalonia.Bridge

Quick Start

String Extensions

using CheapHelpers.Extensions;

"hello world".Capitalize();  // "Hello world"
"0474123456".ToInternationalPhoneNumber("BE");  // "+32474123456"
"Very long text...".ToShortString(10);  // "Very lo..."

Memory Caching

using CheapHelpers.Caching;

// Sliding expiration - items expire after 30 minutes of inactivity
using var cache = new SlidingExpirationCache<User>("UserCache", TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30));
var user = await cache.GetOrAddAsync("user:123", async key => await database.GetUserAsync(key));

Entity Framework Repository

using CheapHelpers.EF.Repositories;

public class ProductRepo : BaseRepo<Product, MyDbContext>
{
    public ProductRepo(MyDbContext context) : base(context) { }
}

var products = await productRepo.GetAllPaginatedAsync(pageIndex: 1, pageSize: 20);

Network Scanning

using CheapHelpers.Networking.Extensions;

services.AddNetworkScanning()
    .AddAllDetectors()  // UPnP, mDNS, HTTP, SSH, Windows Services
    .AddJsonStorage();

var scanner = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<INetworkScanner>();
scanner.Start();  // Background scanning

scanner.DeviceDiscovered += (device) =>
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Found: {device.Name} ({device.IPv4Address}) - {device.Type}");
};

Email with Templates

using CheapHelpers.Services.Email;

services.AddEmailService(options =>
{
    options.SmtpServer = "smtp.gmail.com";
    options.SmtpPort = 587;
});

await emailService.SendEmailAsync(
    recipient: "user@example.com",
    subject: "Welcome!",
    body: "<h1>Welcome to our app!</h1>"
);

Geocoding Services

using CheapHelpers.Services.Geocoding.Extensions;

// Configure geocoding with multiple providers
services.AddGeocodingServices(options =>
{
    options.DefaultProvider = GeocodingProvider.Mapbox;
    options.Mapbox.AccessToken = "your-mapbox-token";
    options.AzureMaps.SubscriptionKey = "your-azure-key";
    options.GoogleMaps.ApiKey = "your-google-key";
    options.PtvMaps.ApiKey = "your-ptv-key";
});

// Forward geocoding - address to coordinates
var result = await geocodingService.GeocodeAsync("1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA");
Console.WriteLine($"Coordinates: {result.Coordinate.Latitude}, {result.Coordinate.Longitude}");

// Reverse geocoding - coordinates to address
var address = await geocodingService.ReverseGeocodeAsync(37.4224764, -122.0842499);
Console.WriteLine($"Address: {address.FormattedAddress}");

// Fuzzy search/autocomplete
var results = await geocodingService.SearchAsync("main st", new GeocodingOptions
{
    Limit = 5,
    Countries = new[] { "US" }
});

Status Bar Configuration (MAUI)

// In MauiProgram.cs - ONE LINE configuration!
builder.UseMauiApp<App>()
       .UseTransparentStatusBar(StatusBarStyle.DarkContent);

// Or from any page/code
StatusBarHelper.ConfigureForLightBackground(); // Dark icons for light theme
StatusBarHelper.ConfigureForDarkBackground();  // Light icons for dark theme

// Get status bar height for layouts
var height = StatusBarHelper.GetStatusBarHeight();

Blazor Hybrid Push Notifications (MAUI)

// In MauiProgram.cs
builder.Services.AddBlazorHybridPushNotifications();
builder.Services.AddMauiPushNotifications();  // iOS APNS + Android FCM

// In your Blazor component
var status = await RegistrationManager.CheckDeviceStatusAsync(userId);
if (status == DeviceRegistrationState.NotRegistered)
{
    await RegistrationManager.RegisterDeviceAsync(userId);
}

Projects

This repository contains multiple NuGet packages, each with its own documentation:

CheapHelpers.Blazor

Blazor and Blazor Hybrid utilities including app bar components, WebView helpers, push notification abstractions, and file download utilities.

Key Features:

App Bar Component with programmatic control
Blazor Hybrid integration (MAUI, Photino, Avalonia)
Push notification abstractions (platform-agnostic)
WebView JSON parser and bridge
Download helper and clipboard service

Documentation: CheapHelpers.Blazor/Docs

CheapHelpers.MAUI

MAUI platform helpers for iOS and Android including status bar configuration, system UI helpers, and push notification implementations.

Key Features:

Cross-platform status bar configuration
Android system bars (status bar + navigation bar) with edge-to-edge support
iOS APNS and Android FCM push notification implementations
Firebase token helper with safe retrieval
Device installation service for backend registration

Documentation: CheapHelpers.MAUI/Docs

CheapHelpers

Core utilities, extensions, and helpers for everyday .NET development.

Key Features:

String extensions (capitalize, sanitize, phone numbers, truncation)
DateTime extensions (timezone conversion, business days, rounding)
Collection extensions (dynamic ordering, replacements, bindings)
Memory caching with flexible expiration strategies
Encryption helpers (machine-specific AES-256)
File helpers (secure filename generation, date-based naming)
Process execution with progress tracking

Documentation: Docs/Core

CheapHelpers.EF

Entity Framework repository pattern and extensions.

Key Features:

BaseRepo with CRUD operations and pagination
Context extensions for bulk operations
PaginatedList helper

Documentation: Docs/EF

CheapHelpers.Services

Business services and integrations for common development tasks.

Key Features:

Email service with SMTP and Fluid templates
Geocoding services with 4 providers (Mapbox, Azure Maps, Google Maps, PTV Maps)
PDF generation and optimization services
XML serialization (dynamic and strongly-typed)
Azure integration (Translation, Vision, Document services)

Documentation: Docs/Services

CheapHelpers.Networking

Network scanning and device discovery utilities.

Key Features:

Network scanner with background discovery
Device detectors (UPnP, mDNS, HTTP, SSH)
MAC address resolution (cross-platform)

Documentation: Docs/Networking

CheapHelpers.MediaProcessing

Media processing utilities for FFmpeg integration and hardware detection.

Platform Support:

Windows - Full support including SVP integration, WMI-based GPU detection, NVENC capability detection
Linux - Full support using nvidia-smi and system commands for hardware detection
macOS - Not currently supported (planned for future release)

Key Features:

FFmpeg/FFprobe executable detection with priority ordering
Hardware capability detection (GPU, NVENC encoders)
SVP (Smooth Video Project) integration (Windows only)
Process management with timeout and cancellation support
Temporary file management with automatic cleanup
Dependency installation helpers

Usage:

// Automatic platform detection
services.AddMediaProcessing();

// Or explicit platform selection
services.AddMediaProcessingWindows();  // Windows only
services.AddMediaProcessingLinux();    // Linux only

CheapHelpers.Avalonia.Bridge

Bridge package integrating CheapAvaloniaBlazor desktop notifications with CheapHelpers notification system.

Key Features:

Desktop notification adapter for Avalonia/Photino apps
Integration with CheapHelpers.Services notification system

Architecture

See Docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for overall solution architecture and separation of concerns.

Requirements

.NET 10.0 or later
C# 14.0 or later

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

git clone https://github.com/CheapNud/CheapHelpers.git
cd CheapHelpers
dotnet restore
dotnet build

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.txt file for details.

CheapNud/CheapHelpers.Networkingv2.0.1

Get Started

Readme

CheapHelpers

Packages

Installation

Quick Start

String Extensions

Memory Caching

Entity Framework Repository

Network Scanning

Email with Templates

Geocoding Services

Status Bar Configuration (MAUI)

Blazor Hybrid Push Notifications (MAUI)

Projects

CheapHelpers.MediaProcessing

CheapHelpers.Avalonia.Bridge

Architecture

Requirements

Contributing

License

CheapNud/CheapHelpers.Networkingv2.0.1

Get Started

Readme

CheapHelpers

Packages

Installation

Quick Start

String Extensions

Memory Caching

Entity Framework Repository

Network Scanning

Email with Templates

Geocoding Services

Status Bar Configuration (MAUI)

Blazor Hybrid Push Notifications (MAUI)

Projects

CheapHelpers.MediaProcessing

CheapHelpers.Avalonia.Bridge

Architecture

Requirements

Contributing

License