I have created a T4 template that I want to reuse in several projects using NuGet. This template is based on a custom class so I need to distribute a DLL with the template. The DLL is used by the template during generation, but is not used by the project itself so I do NOT want it added to the target project as a reference.
My .nuspec file includes my DLL and places it in the root of the package which will prevent it from creating a reference and everything works fine if I build my package by hand. Unfortunately, I want to use the "nuget pack" command to automatically pick up the version number. When I run this command and reference the project file, it includes my DLL twice, once in the root (as I specified in my nuspec file) and an additional time in the lib folder (along with everything in the bin folder).
How can I automatically build my NuGet package without including any references. It seems there are several solutions, but I can't figure any of them out:
Let nuget include my DLL in the lib folder, but prevent it from creating the reference. I know I can use the <references> section to reference some DLLs and not others, but in this case I don't want it to reference any. If I leave the <references> section blank it is either ignored or I get an error depending on what level I leave blank.
Prevent nuget from including any DLLs automatically and only include the files in the <files> section of the nuspec file. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to build the package from the project file without it including my DLL automatically.
Any thoughts?
If you right-click the DLL, you'll probably see that its "build action" is set to "content". Try setting it to "none".
Related
I have a PS1 script that I use in all my projects to sign the assemblies. Until now I copied this file over to all my projects. Now I wanted to create a nuget package with the PS1 file.
I created a nuspec file and put the file in "content". Unfortunately nothing happened. Then I tried to put it in lib. Still noting happened. When I restore the package in my project no files where created in this project.
When I analyst the nupkg file with my 7-Zip the file looks OK. The ps1 file was in content, lib respectively.
I didn't found anything to this topic online. Can someone explain to me, how to create such a NuGet-Package?
When a project using packages.config installs a NuGet package, the package's tools\install.ps1 script will run. However, this no longer happens when the project using the package uses PackageReference (such as SDK style projects, used by .NET Core).
Similarly, the files in the content folder of the nupkg are copied into the project on install, but only when the project uses packages.config. PackageReference projects use the contentFiles folder in the nupkg, however the behaviour is different. Those files are copied only on build, not install, for .NET Framework projects and on publish for .NET Core projects. Probably not what you want for signing assemblies.
The feature you probably want to use is including MSBuild props and targets in your package. Note that the props and targets file names must match the package id exactly for NuGet to use them. You probably want to use afterTargets="build" at a guess.
I have a project with a runtime text template, i want to be able to call
mytemplate.TransformCode();
from a different project. I only need access to the mytemplate.cs file it generates and do not want to edit the template in the second project.
I have included the .tt file in the nuget package of the first project and installed the nuget package on the second.
The problem is the actual .tt file is installed into the second project, and then fails to compile due to the assembly reference
<## assembly name="$(SolutionDir)\..\..\bin\LanguageExt.Core.dll" #>
Because they relative path to the assembly is no longer correct.
So I need a way to either suppress installation of the tt file into the second project, and be able to instantiate the mytemplate class file from the dll and call GenerateText()
If that's not possible I'd like to at least be able to use a parameter for the assembly relative path, so I can make sure it builds in both places.
Any ideas?
Right, it's as simple as setting 'Build Action' to 'None' on the tt file
gets coat
The title says it all. I have files that I want to nest during the installation of a NuGet package but can't use PowerShell scripts since they won't be run any longer (see here).
Are there any other ways to achieve this goal?
UPDATE: By nested I mean like *.resx and *.Designer.cs or *.xaml and code-behind files *.xaml.cs. I know I can achieve that by adding a <DependentUpon> element in the *.csproj file but I don't know how I can add that element without using PowerShell.
UPDATE2: init.ps1 runs the first time a package is installed in a solution. That won't cut it though. I would need the script to run when the package is installed into a project just like install.ps1 was run up to NuGet3.
UPDATE3: What I want to do is to add 3 files into the Properties folder of the target projects (Resources.resx, Resources.tt and Resources.Designer.cs). They are a replacement for the usual resources implementation. These files are installed by the nuget package when it is added to the project.
This is the part of the *.nuspec file that adds them to the Content folder of the package. As only one of them is actually content (the others being an Embedded Resource and Compile respectively) it would be nice to be able to set their build actions accordingly but one step at a time.
<files>
<file src="Properties\Resources.resx" target="content\Properties\Resources.resx" />
<file src="Properties\Resources.tt.pp" target="content\Properties\Resources.tt.pp" />
<file src="Properties\Resources.Designer.cs" target="content\Properties\Resources.Designer.cs" />
</files>
As these files are added to the projects I want the nesting inside the *.csproj file and not happen via a separate *.props file if that is somehow possible.
Packages can add MSBuild items like this to a project by using a .props file in the package. It would contain the same content that you would put into the .csproj file.
The down side of this is that the content cannot be modified by the user. If you need to modify the user's actual project file and copy content to the project folder you would have to include a .targets file in your package and set BeforeTargets="Build" on your target. This would give you a chance to run before build and make changes as needed.
The build folder works for both packages.config and PackageReference (NETCore SDK) projects. You can find more out about it here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/create-packages/creating-a-package#including-msbuild-props-and-targets-in-a-package
I am using automatic package restore in NuGet v2.8.50506.491 with Visual Studio 2013.
I have added a build folder to my package with a {package ID}.props file. However, the file is apparently not being injected into the vcxproj at restore time. The package and all its content are being restored correctly but none of the definitions are visible in vcxproj properties. This may be expected if property injection occurs in memory, but the build fails due to paths that are clearly defined in the props not having been inherited.
If I add an explicit reference to the props file in my local packages repository, the project builds successfully, therefore there is no issue with the paths in props file.
I have also tried adding the props within a "native" subfolder under build, also to no avail.
An extract from the nuspec:
<file src="build\MyPackage.targets" target="build\MyPackage.targets" />
I have also tried a targets file instead of/as well as a props file, but this does not work either.
I should add that I have defined Nuget.config in the sln folder, with an absolute path to my packages repository:
<config>
<add key="repositoryPath" value="C:\Packages" />
</config>
I was having this problem today, and eventually I realized that the names of my .nuspec and .targets files were different than the id of my package, which is apparently a problem. Renaming the .nuspec and .targets files to match the package id made NuGet start injecting into the vcxproj correctly. I'm not sure which of the two files was the problem, or if it was both, but it's working correctly now that all three names match.
Injection of .targets and .props file references happens only at the time when you install the NuGet package. This is the same as with .NET projects where assembly references are created only at package install time.
Later when you build the project the package restore mechanism merely downloads and extracts the NuGet package so that the previously "dangling" .target / .props / assembly references become valid references.
My company has an assembly versioning package that I've written in powershell and is distributed amongst my colleagues via our internal nuget feed.
There are a couple of template files which can be user-modified after the package in installed. These files are being included in the package which we generate via
nuget pack xxxx.csproj
We've done a little investigation and there files are not packaged when we change the Build Action to None.
Is there a way to tell nuspec to add the files to the project with Build Action set to None*?
Alternatively is there a way to tell nuget pack to not include certain files in the package in generates?
NuGet pack has an Exclude parameter that can be used to filter out files that you don't want in your package.
If you want to include files that are auto excluded from your project then you need to add a nuspec to your project and add a element that includes that file.
More information here:
http://docs.nuget.org/docs/creating-packages/creating-and-publishing-a-package#From_a_project
http://docs.nuget.org/docs/reference/command-line-reference#Pack_Command
nuget pack will ignore any files or folders that start with period/full stop. So one easy way would be to rename your template files or the folder they are located in to start with a period/full stop if possible.