.NET Reflector

[wild_bill]

I've been using .NET reflector for quite a while. I started getting a message box on startup asking if I wanted to update. In the past I would click No, and the app would start as usual. Now when I click No, the app shuts down. If I click Yes, I get directed to Red Gate's site where I have the option to purchase Reflector. Has anybody else ran into this? Are the days of using Reflector for free long gone?

[DeanMc]

The website lists a free version here: http://www.red-gate.com/products/reflector/

[wild_bill]

Cool, at first glance I thought it was only a trial.

[mendhak]

Haven't seen that, did you download it as part of a bundle?

[DeanMc]

It should be part of your 2008 vs install.

[plender]

Protip; Dis# is niiiice

[gep13]

Hey,

I seem to remember that the Reflector download also ships with a trial version of one of RedGate's other products. Typically, I choose not to get this when I download Reflector, sounds like you might have opted to install it though.

Gary

[jmcilhinney]

Red Gate promised to maintain a free version of Reflector when they purchased it but they also said at the time that they intended to add more features and release a paid version. This is the culmination of that promise.

[wild_bill]

So now I go to register for my free license, and I get an "Unable to connect to the remote server" message.

[gep13]

Hmmm, I registered another one the other day on a new VM, and it worked fine.

Perhaps it is just a glitch with their licensing server. I would try again in a while, and see if it works then.

Gary

[LaVolpe]

I have a system at my job that is cutoff from the general net. So to download stuff and sneaker net it across, requires lots of paperwork and a time consuming approval process.

I have the same problem as yours in post #1 and to resolve it, I just did the following and it worked fine.

1. Change system date to a year ago (or longer if needed)
2. Start reflector
3. Change system date back. No need to keep it backdated while Reflector is running

The version of Reflector I'm using suits my purposes and don't really care if there's a newer one or not

[NickThissen]

The makers of ReSharper have recently released their own decompiling tool: dotPeek. Since I can no long use Reflector I switched to theirs, used it for a couple of DLLs I had lying around and needed to take a look in and it works fine. In some aspects it seems better (the code is actually a code window much like in VS, you even got functions like 'Find Usages', 'Go To Declaration/Implementation', etc, and you can open multiple classes at the same time in tabs and drag them, and toolwindows, around like in VS2008), but as far as I can see it only decompiles to C# so if you're not proficient in that it might not be that useful.

The version built into ReSharper 6 is even better, you can actually navigate to members in any class by using Go To Implementation, for example, even in third party DLLs and framework assemblies that you don't have the source code from. All in VS, from your own project. Pretty awesome!

[gep13]

Hello,

You are allowed to continue to use version 6 of .Net Reflector, it is just that version 7 is a paid for product.

If you are looking for alternatives, you might want to look into JustDecompile, ILSpy or Cecil.

Gary