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EdsDcfNet Wiki

EdsDcfNet is a comprehensive, zero-dependency C# .NET library for reading and writing CANopen device description files according to CiA DS 306 v1.4 and CiA 311.

Wiki documentation aligned with v1.9.0 (June 2026).

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What is EdsDcfNet?

CANopen is a communication protocol for industrial automation systems. Every CANopen device is described by:

File Type	Format	Description
EDS (Electronic Data Sheet)	INI	Template describing a device's communication capabilities and configurable parameters
DCF (Device Configuration File)	INI	Configured instance of an EDS for a specific network node (contains concrete values, node ID, baud rate)
CPJ (Nodelist Project)	INI	Network topology file listing all nodes in a CANopen network (CiA 306-3)
XDD (XML Device Description)	XML	CiA 311 XML equivalent of EDS; supports structured ApplicationProcess model
XDC (XML Device Configuration)	XML	CiA 311 XML equivalent of DCF; configured instance including commissioning data

EdsDcfNet lets you read, write, create, and convert all five file formats from C# with a simple, intuitive API.

What's New in v1.9.0

• Format entry points — CanOpenFile.Eds, .Dcf, .Cpj, .Xdd, .Xdc are the canonical API
• Write validation — CanOpenWriteOptions.Validated validates models before serializing
• CanOpenFileOptions — configurable input size limits on all read operations
• Extended validation — CanOpenFile.Validate / EnsureValid for EDS, DCF, and CPJ models
• Legacy facade deprecation — Read* / Write* / EdsToDcf overloads marked [Obsolete] (advisory)

See Migration Guide for upgrade instructions.

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Key Features

Feature	Description
Read & Write EDS	Parse and generate Electronic Data Sheets
Read & Write DCF	Process and create Device Configuration Files
Read & Write CPJ	Parse and create Nodelist Project files
Read & Write XDD	CiA 311 XML Device Description (with ApplicationProcess support)
Read & Write XDC	CiA 311 XML Device Configuration
EDS → DCF/XDC Conversion	One-call conversion with node ID and baud rate
Model Validation	Validate commissioning values and OD consistency before writing
Stream & Async I/O	Read/write from streams with sync and async overloads
Type-Safe Models	Fully typed models for all CANopen objects
Typed ApplicationProcess	Full programmatic access to CiA 311 §6.4.5 parameters
Modular Devices	Bus couplers with pluggable I/O modules
Zero Dependencies	No external NuGet packages required
.NET Standard 2.0	Runs on .NET Framework 4.6.1+, .NET Core 2.0+, Unity, Xamarin
CiA DS 306 v1.4 / CiA 311 v1.1	Implemented according to the official specifications

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Quick Navigation

Getting Started

• Installation and Setup
• Quick Start Examples
• Migration Guide — upgrade from legacy Read* / Write* facade methods

Working with Files

• Reading EDS Files
• Writing EDS Files
• Reading and Writing DCF Files
• Working with CPJ Files
• Reading and Writing XDD/XDC Files
• EDS to DCF Conversion

Object Dictionary

• Object Dictionary Access
• Extension Methods

Reference

• API Reference
• Error Handling
• Glossary

Development

• Architecture
• Contributing

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Five-Minute Example

using EdsDcfNet;

// 1. Read an EDS file
var eds = CanOpenFile.Eds.ReadFile("device.eds");
Console.WriteLine($"Device: {eds.DeviceInfo.ProductName}");

// 2. Convert to DCF for node 3 at 500 kbit/s
var dcf = CanOpenFile.Eds.ConvertToDcf(eds, nodeId: 3, baudrate: 500, nodeName: "SensorModule");

// 3. Save the DCF (with optional pre-write validation)
CanOpenFile.Dcf.WriteFile(dcf, "sensor_node3.dcf", CanOpenWriteOptions.Validated);

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Installation

dotnet add package EdsDcfNet

Or via NuGet Package Manager: search for EdsDcfNet.

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Requirements

Scenario	Requirement
Using the NuGet package	.NET Standard 2.0 compatible runtime (.NET Framework 4.6.1+, .NET Core 2.0+, .NET 5+, Unity, Xamarin)
Building from source	.NET SDK 10.0+, C# 13.0

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License

MIT — see LICENSE

Specification

Based on:

• CiA DS 306 Version 1.4.0 (December 15, 2021): Electronic data sheet specification for CANopen
• CiA 311: XML device description/configuration concepts (XDD/XDC)