title: Auto-generated code in C# from a template
body: <p>I am now maintaining someone else's code in C# and I have found something that I am not sure I understand.</p>
  <p>So far when I program Winforms I usually write my classes (and other code). However in this program there are some modules that have <em>partial classes</em> and in the header there is a commentary of the form</p>
  <pre><code>//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  // &lt;auto-generated&gt;
  //     This code was generated from a template.
  //
  //     Manual changes to this file may cause unexpected behavior in your application.
  //     Manual changes to this file will be overwritten if the code is regenerated.
  // &lt;/auto-generated&gt;
  //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  </code></pre>
  <p>What are this exactly and what <em>template</em> are they talking about?</p>
  <p>(*) This <em>are not</em> the auto-generated partial classes generated when someone design graphically a form. I have seen and used those. I suppose it is something similar but not the same</p>