CloneBox

Getting Started

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Install

dotnet add package CloneBox

<PackageReference Include="CloneBox" Version="*" />

Targets: netstandard2.0, net47, net48, net10.0.

Your first clone

using CloneBox;

public class Address {
 public string City { get; set; }
}

public class Customer {
 public int Id { get; set; }
 public string Name { get; set; }
 public Address Address { get; set; }
}

var customer = new Customer {
 Id = 1,
 Name = "Ada",
 Address = new Address { City = "Berlin" }
};

var copy = customer.CloneX();
// copy is a new Customer; copy.Address is a new Address too

That is a real deep clone: nested objects, collections, arrays, dictionaries, and cycles. The copy does not share identity with the source.

Deep Clone

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Basic usage

using CloneBox;

var customer = new Customer {
 Id = 1,
 Name = "Ada",
 Address = new Address { City = "Berlin" }
};

var copy = customer.CloneX();

Or with explicit settings:

var copy = customer.CloneX(new CloneSettings {
 IncludeNonPublicFields = false,
 IncludeNonPublicProperties = false
});

What is copied

By default CloneBox copies public and non-public properties and fields, and will use non-public constructors when needed:

Clone Into

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Same idea, different destination

CloneX() always creates a new instance of the same type. CloneXTo() fills a target you choose: another type, or an existing object.

Skip Members

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Attribute

By default CloneBox copies every property and field it is allowed to see. Mark a member or a whole class with [DoNotClone] to leave it out:

Settings

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Passing settings

var clone = source.CloneX(new CloneSettings {
 IncludeNonPublicFields = false,
 IncludeNonPublicProperties = false,
 UseICloneableClone = true,
 Logger = logger // Microsoft.Extensions.Logging
});

The same object works with CloneXTo():

source.CloneXTo(target, settings);

Visibility

Setting	Default	Meaning
`IncludePublicProperties`	`true`	Copy public properties
`IncludeNonPublicProperties`	`true`	Copy non-public properties
`IncludePublicFields`	`true`	Copy public fields
`IncludeNonPublicFields`	`true`	Copy non-public fields
`IncludePublicConstructors`	`true`	Allow public constructors when creating instances
`IncludeNonPublicConstructors`	`true`	Allow non-public constructors when needed

ICloneable

ICloneable is ignored unless you opt in:

Benchmarks

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How we measure

CloneBox.Benchmark compares CloneBox with widely used clone libraries (DeepCloner, FastDeepCloner, CloneExtensions, AnyClone) and, as contrast, Mapster, AutoMapper, and a Newtonsoft.Json round-trip. Each (library × scenario) runs in an isolated process so a stack overflow cannot take down the suite.

Contact

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

We’d love to hear from you! Whether you have questions about CloneBox, need support, or just want to say hello, we’re here to help. Fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you—usually within 24 hours.

Legal Notice & Privacy Policy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Legal Notice

Address & Contact

Company:

ETLBoxperts GmbH

Address:

Mädewalder Weg 34A
12621 Berlin
Germany

Phone:

+49 151 228 42 181

Email:

mail@etlbox.net

Legal Information

Registration Number:

HRB 263153 B

Registered in:

Berlin (Charlottenburg)

VAT Number:

DE368638493

Managing Director:

Andreas Lennartz

Privacy Policy

We respect your privacy. We do not use cookies and we do not collect any personal data.

Support

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CloneBox is free and open source. For bugs and feature requests, prefer the GitHub repository. For everything else — questions about ETLBox, licensing of our commercial products, or general inquiries — our team is happy to help.

Ups, something went wrong!

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Something went wrong with your request. Sorry for this.

Get back to us!

If you have any questions or just would like to get in touch, don’t hesitate to contact us!