Code Samples:

      // SIMPLE PARENT-CHILD STRUCTURE, from Node class defined above
      Node Tree = new Node() { Name = "Tree" };
      Tree.Childs = new List<Node>()
      {
        new Node() { Name = "Child 1", Age = 1 },
        new Node() { Name = "Child 2", Age = 2,
          Childs = new List<Node>(){
            new Node() { Name ="Child 3", Age = 3 },
            new Node() { SpecialProperty = new SpecialPropertyClass(){ X = "X", Y = 1, }, Age = 4 }
          }
        },
        new Node() { Name ="Child 5", Age = 5 }
      };
  

The classes used in the sample above:

  public class NestedClassProperty
  {
    public NestedClassProperty Property { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
  }
  public class SpecialPropertyClass
  {
    public string X { get; set; }
    public int Y { get; set; }
    public override string ToString()
    {
      return X;
    }
  }
  public class Node
  {
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
    public NestedClassProperty NestProperty { get; set; }
    public SpecialPropertyClass SpecialProperty { get; set; }
    public List<Node> Childs { get; set; } = new List<Node>();
  }    
  
  

How it looks:


WPF Example: MainWindow.xaml.cs

    private void cmdMakeAscii_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
      txtAscii.Text = ASCIITree.GetTree(Tree.Items, "{Header??GetType().Name}", "Items", "Tree");
    }

    private void cmdMakeAsciiFromVisualtree_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
      txtAscii.Text = ASCIITree.GetTree(this.grid, "{Header??Name??$type$.Name}", "Children??Child??Items");
    }    
  

MainWindow.xaml

<Window x:Class="WpfApp4.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
        xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
        xmlns:local="clr-namespace:WpfApp4"
        mc:Ignorable="d"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="438.35" Width="679.045" MinHeight="200" MinWidth="500" WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen">
  <Grid Name="grid">
    <TreeView HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="10,10,0,10" Width="254" Name="Tree">
      <TreeView.Items>
        <TreeViewItem Header="Root" IsExpanded="True">
          <TreeViewItem.Items>
            <TreeViewItem Header="" IsExpanded="True" >
              <TreeViewItem.Items>
                <TreeViewItem Header="Sub Sub 1" />
                <TreeViewItem Header="Sub Sub 2" />
              </TreeViewItem.Items>
            </TreeViewItem>
            <TreeViewItem Header="Sub 2" IsExpanded="True"  />
            <TreeViewItem Header="Sub 3" IsExpanded="True"  />
          </TreeViewItem.Items>
        </TreeViewItem>
      </TreeView.Items>
    </TreeView>
    <Button Name="cmdMakeAscii" Click="cmdMakeAscii_Click" Content="Generate Treeview Ascii" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="269,10,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="151"/>
    <Border Margin="269,60,10,10" BorderBrush="Gray" BorderThickness="1" Padding="6">
      <TextBox TextWrapping="Wrap" Text="" FontFamily="Courier New" FontSize="16" Name="txtAscii" />
    </Border>
    <Label Content="Ascii:" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="269,34,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Padding="0,5,5,5"/>
    <Button x:Name="cmdMakeAsciiFromVisualtree" Click="cmdMakeAsciiFromVisualtree_Click" Content="Generate VisualTree Ascii" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="425,10,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="151"/>
  </Grid>
</Window>

  

How it looks:


In the new version 1.0.8
ASCIITreeGenerator class
The ASCIITreeGenerator can be used with event driven formatting:

  /*
  CUSTOM DRAWING - WITH FORMATTING
  */
  var defColor = Console.ForegroundColor;
  Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Yellow;
  Console.WriteLine("New method, with custom drawing and formatting:");
  Console.ForegroundColor = defColor;
  using (GDS.ASCII.ASCIITreeGenerator ag = new GDS.ASCII.ASCIITreeGenerator())
  {
    ag.OnNewNode += (GDS.ASCII.Node node, ref string nodePrefix, ref string nodeDisplayText,
      ref int indent, int level) =>
    {
      var orgForeground = Console.ForegroundColor;
      ConsoleColor errColor = orgForeground;
      if (node.StructureObject is Node nx)
      {
        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(nx.Err))
          errColor = ConsoleColor.Red;
        Console.Write(nodePrefix);
        Console.ForegroundColor = errColor;
        Console.Write(nodeDisplayText);
        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(nx.Err))
        {
          Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Yellow;
          Console.Write("<-Error found!");
        }
        Console.WriteLine();
        Console.ForegroundColor = orgForeground;
      }
      else
      {
        Console.Write(nodePrefix);
        Console.WriteLine(nodeDisplayText);
      }
    };
    string newResult = ag.GetTree(Tree.Childs, "Name:{Name??SpecialProperty??Age}", "Childs");
  }
  Console.WriteLine();
  

Or the ref variables in the event modified:

  /*
  CUSTOM FORMATTING, BY MODIFYING DATA IN THE REF-EVENT
  */
  Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Yellow;
  Console.WriteLine("New method, with custom formatting:");
  Console.ForegroundColor = defColor;

  using (GDS.ASCII.ASCIITreeGenerator ag = new GDS.ASCII.ASCIITreeGenerator())
  {
    ag.OnNewNode += (GDS.ASCII.Node node, ref string nodePrefix, ref string nodeDisplayText, ref int indent, int level) =>
    {
      if (node.StructureObject is Node nx)
      {
        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(nx.Err))
        {
          nodeDisplayText += "<--ERROR!";
        }
      }
    };
    string newResult = ag.GetTree(Tree.Childs, "Name:{Name??SpecialProperty??Age}", "Childs");
    Console.Write(newResult);
    Console.WriteLine();
  }
  

Download the demo source (ASCIITreeDemo.zip) here