Assembly accessed via NuGet package doesn't include a class - xaml

A Universal Class Library (UWP) project that I created has two classes;
1.
A public BoolToVisibilityConverter - an IValueConverter whose responsibility it is to convert a bool to a XAML Visibility, and vice-versa.
2.
A public CustomControl templated control whose template (defined in Themes\Generic.xaml (project structure below)) uses the BoolToVisibilityConverter mentioned above.
Its template looks like this;
<Border ...>
<Border.Resources>
<local:BoolToVisibilityConverter x:Key="BoolToVisibilityConverter" />
</Border.Resources>
<Grid ...>
<Grid ...
Visibility="{Binding RelativeSource={RelativeSource TemplatedParent}, Path=Value, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVisibilityConverter}}" />
</Grid>
</Border>
Value, the property the Visibility is bound to, is a boolean dependency property on the control, local being an alias to the namespace within which the BoolToVisibilityConverter resides (which is the same as that of the templated control).
Project Structure
Build Configurations
The Release build configuration of the project has the "XML documentation file" and "Generate library layout" options enabled.
Generating a NuGet package
The NuSpec for my project (located at NuGet\RefClassLibrary.nuspec) is;
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<package >
<metadata>
<id>RefClassLibrary</id>
<version>1.0.0</version>
<!-- various other metadata -->
</metadata>
<files>
<file src="..\bin\Release\**" target="lib\uap10.0"/>
</files>
</package>
The file was generated using the nuget.exe spec command, with the NuGet CLI version 4.3.0.4406.
To generate the NuGet package, I first deleted the bin and obj folders, and built the project in the Release (Any CPU) configuration, which generated the following structure in the bin folder,
I then generated the NuGet package for the class library using the command nuget.exe pack RefClassLibrary.nuspec from within the NuGet\ folder, which generated a nupkg file with the following structure,
Problem: Consuming the class library via the NuGet package
From within a new Universal Windows Application project I ran the Install-Package commmand with the absolute path to the nupkg as its argument, within the Package Manager Console within Visual Studio, which installed the generated package.
After building the project (without errors), I added the following XAML to a new Blank Page,
<Page ...
xmlns:rcl="using:RefClassLibrary">
<Grid ...>
<rcl:CustomControl Width="200" Height="200" Value="True"/>
</Grid>
</Page>
Which resulted in an error that reads,
XamlParseException: The text associated with this error code could not be found.
Cannot deserialize XBF metadata type list as 'BoolToVisibilityConverter' was not found in namespace 'RefClassLibrary'. [Line: 0 Position: 0]
StackTrace:
at Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Control.ApplyTemplate()
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.DesignTools.UwpDesigner.InstanceBuilders.WindowsUIXamlLocalInstanceManager.EnsureElementInDictionary(Object root, ViewNode knownAncestor)
InnerException: None
Upon viewing RefClassLibrary in the Object Browser, sure enough as the error suggests, the BoolToVisibilityConverter class wasn't there...
Consuming the class library directly
I used the Uninstall-Package RefClassLibrary command to remove the package from the project.
I then unzipped the nupkg file using the command 7z x RefClassLibrary.1.0.0.nupkg -oOut, which extracts it to a folder Out, and directly referenced the dll contained within the Out\lib\uap10.0\ folder within the project by adding a Reference via Solution Explorer, which made it work perfectly. The BoolToVisibilityConverter did show up in the Object Browser.
How should this issue be fixed?
The correct assembly gets included within the NuGet package, although some parts of it (?) don't get 'imported' into the project...

When a NuGet package is installed via the Install-Package Cmdlet, this is, as I understand, what NuGet does,
The identifier and version number of the package to be installed are retrieved. It does so via the specified arguments (in the case of a version number not being specified, it defaults to the latest 'stable' version), or by reading the contents of the package that it points to.
The .nupkg file and some other assets associated with the package are copied to and cached within the %USERPROFILE%\.nuget\packages\{identifier}\{version}\ folder.
The package is then extracted and installed within the Visual Studio project that you are in.
When you install the same version of the same package again, NuGet uses the cached files located within the aforementioned folder, instead of re-downloading them.
The problem described in the question originated as a result of me not incrementing the version number of the NuGet package.
I developed the library project in two steps on my machine,
I intially created the library project with only the CustomControl, generated the library package, and installed it in an external app project.
It was afterwards that I added the BoolToVisibilityConverter, re-generated the library package, and re-installed it in the app project.
The version number of the package (1.0.0) specified in the .nuspec file was not incremented between the first and second steps, and therefore the new package generated in step 2 was not used by NuGet because a package with the same identifier and version number was already cached at %USERPROFILE%\.nuget\packages\.
This would explain why it worked (refer to the comments on the question) for Sunteen Wu - MSFT (thanks!).
So, solution is to either,
Increment the version number in the .nuspec file, or,
Delete the folder that corresponds to the package (or version thereof), located within the %USERPROFILE%\.nuget\packages folder,
...after which you would re-generate the library package with the same version number, and install it in the app project.

Related

How do I get the Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI native binaries copied to the bin directory of a web application that targets .NET Framework 4.7.2?

How can I <Import> a .targets file that is included in <PackageReference>d NuGet package in a non-SDK-style web application project that targets .NET 4.7.2?
Background
The web application project is not an SDK-style project. It references a class library project in the same solution. This class library project is an SDK-style project. It has a package reference to Microsoft.Data.SqlClient version 4.1.0, which depends on Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI.runtime 4.0.0. The latter contains native binaries which are automatically copied to the bin directory of the project.
The native binaries are not copied to the bin directory of the web application project. This is probably because of this:
SNI is the native C++ library that SqlClient depends on for various network operations when running on Windows. In .NET Framework applications that are built with the MSBuild Project SDK, native DLLs aren't managed with restore commands. So a ".targets" file is included in the "Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI" NuGet package that defines the necessary "Copy" operations.
The included ".targets" file is auto-referenced when a direct dependency is made to the "Microsoft.Data.SqlClient" library. In scenarios where a transitive (indirect) reference is made, this ".targets" file should be manually referenced to ensure "Copy" operations can execute when necessary.
Recommended Solution: Make sure the ".targets" file is referenced in the application's ".csproj" file to ensure "Copy" operations are executed.
Source
Not sure what "built with the MSBuild Project SDK" means exactly, but I think my scenario qualifies.
Now I'm trying to implement the recommended solution, but I cannot get it to work.
What I did
Step 1: add package reference to Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI version 4.0.0:
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI">
<GeneratePathProperty>true</GeneratePathProperty>
<Version>4.0.0</Version>
</PackageReference>
I added <GeneratePathProperty> because of step 2 below. According to the documentation this should make a property available that can be used to refer to files in the package:
Sometimes it is desirable to reference files in a package from an MSBuild target. In packages.config based projects, the packages are installed in a folder relative to the project file. However in PackageReference, the packages are consumed from the global-packages folder, which can vary from machine to machine.
To bridge that gap, NuGet introduced a property that points to the location from which the package will be consumed.
Step 2: import the targets file:
<Import Project="$(PkgMicrosoft_Data_SqlClient_SNI)\build\net46\Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI.targets" Condition="Exists('$(PkgMicrosoft_Data_SqlClient_SNI)\build\net46\Microsoft.Data.SqlClient.SNI.targets')" />
You can see that the package contains this targets file using the NuGet package explorer (link). The PkgMicrosoft_Data_SqlClient_SNI property is named according to the documentation (linked above) and based on their example:
MSBuild properties and package identities do not have the same restrictions so the package identity needs to be changed to an MSBuild friendly name, prefixed by the word Pkg.
Step 3: verify the tool versions on our agent:
MSBuild 16.11.2.50704 (installed on the agent C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Enterprise\MSBuild\Current\bin)
NuGet 6.1.0.106 (installed via a pipeline task)
According to the documentation linked above, these fulfil the minimum requirements (MSBuild 16 and NuGet 5).
Step 4: run nuget restore on our build agent and then build the project using the Azure DevOps MSBuild#1 task with msbuildArguments: '/t:Build'.
Step 4: collect output and publish as an artifact.
Outcome:
The SNI files are not present in the output. When building locally with MSBuild 17.0.0.52104 (installed in 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\MSBuild\Current\bin') I do see the SNI files.

Consuming nuget package containing .targets file via PackageReference

I have .NET452 project - lets call it Consumer.csproj that I want to consume nuget lets call it SharedTargets that contained some custom targets files (SharedTargets.targets) from msbuild.
I'm using PackageReference format and now (compared to what it used to be) nuget packages are being restored to shared folder (%userprofile%.nuget\packages), and I'm not sure if it is good idea to reference it via that (doesn't feel right).
Eg:
<PackageReference Include="SharedTargets">
<Version>1.0</Version>
</PackageReference>
<Import
Project="$(USERPROFILE)\.nuget\packages\SharedTargets\1.0\SharedTargets.targets"
/>
Also this works only in VS, running this from command line (msbuild) I'm getting chicken-egg problem:
Confirm that the path in the <Import> declaration is correct, and that
the file exists on disk.
Obviously since I need to restore nuget first before I can use it :)
So question:
is there some more elegant way how to resolve path to the nuget package inside project file
is there a way how to make msbuild succeed (i.e. restore packages before SharedTargets.target is imported)
You shouldn't try to manually import targets distributed via NuGet.
Put your .targets file inside a build subfolder inside the package and name it SharedTargets.targets (package id + .targets) and NuGet will automatically include the targets - for packages.config projects it will modify the project file on install and for PackageReference projects the targets will be imported by modifying an implicitly generated targets file in the obj\ directory.

NuGet package XML documentation not visible in .NET Core 2.2 app

I am using a NuGet package which has an XML documentation file.
But when I include the package in a .NET Core 2.2 app, the comments are not available with IntelliSense.
Is there something I'm missing either in the package or in my app to be able to see the documentation with IntelliSense?
Using VisualStudio 2017, Windows 10.
Update for Clarity
The NuGet package is a .NET Standard 1.3 class library. In Visual Studio when I build the project, I include the options to generate the package and documentation file. In the project file, I see the following PropertyGroup:
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|AnyCPU'">
<DocumentationFile>C:\Users\[username]\[local path]\CommonEntities\CommonEntities\CommonEntities.xml</DocumentationFile>
</PropertyGroup>
When I open the package, I can see in the lib/netstandard1.3/ directory that CommonEntities.xml is included along with MakanalTech.CommonEntities.dll.
But, I'm wondering why the xml file has dropped the full name from MakanalTech.CommonEntities.xml as it is in the project to just CommonEntities.xml in the package. Maybe this is the cause of the issue?
The issue is then when I include the package as a dependency in another project, none of the XML comments/documentation are visible. So I can't hover over a type to see its description, and if I peek definition none of the comments/documentation are in the definition.
Class Library Product
https://imgur.com/zbE7ngM (can't post images yet)
Peeking at definition from other project:
https://imgur.com/pwmvpX7
Finally found the issue from this post. This seems quite buggy from Visual Studio 2017 not to handle this correctly and automatically.
In the .csproj file, I removed <DocumentationFile>[filepath-to-xml]</DocumentationFile> and added <GenerateDocumentationFile>true</GenerateDocumentationFile>.
I then repacked the library, cleared my nuget cache, and rebuilt the new project where it's included, and now I have all the XML documentation visible.
NuGet package XML documentation not visible in .NET Core 2.2 app
Just like what have you found that "in the lib/netstandard1.3/ directory that CommonEntities.xml is included along with MakanalTech.CommonEntities.dll.", the .xml file in the lib folder, then according to the document From a convention-based working directory:
Only the .dll file will be added as reference, .xml file will be copied to the project folder. That is the reason why the XML documentation not visible in .NET Core 2.2 app.
Besides, since you are using .netstandard project, .xml file will blocked be copied to the project folder automatically by the nuget issue 4837.
To resolve this issue, we have to create the .nuspec file with option contentFiles to include the .xml file and add this file to the project, please check the detail info from other thread.
But if you do not want to manually edit the .nuspec every release, you can use a post-build event to pack the nuget package automatically,like:
nuget pack "$(.NuspecFilePath)\xxx.nuspec"
Or you can add the .xml file to the project manually from the package directly, that package is in the path: C:\Users\<UserName>\.nuget\packages.
Hope this helps.

.net core msbuild nuget with additional assemblies

This sample shows a .NET Core project which can be packaged into a nuget package just using dotnet pack, and when restored in another project, it integrates in the msbuild pipeline. One of the great things about this sample is it creates a nuget package that integrates with msbuild on linux, mac and Windows. However, the custom build code doesn't have dependencies on any other assemblies.
How can I adapt this sample to use code that uses a dependency?
Here are my failed attempts:
Attempt 1
I added a package reference to Newtonsoft.Json and changed the code to do some JSON serialisation. However, in the project that uses the build nuget, when I do a dotnet publish, I get the following error:
error MSB4018: The "Zip" task failed unexpectedly. [C:\git\MSBuild-Features-With-Nate-McMaster\Video-2\1-NuGet\Web.csproj]
error MSB4018: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'Newtonsoft.Json, Version=10.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=30ad4fe6b2a6aeed'. The system cannot find the file specified. [C:\git\MSBuild-Features-With-Nate-McMaster\Video-2\1-NuGet\Web.csproj]
Additionally, if my project didn't already have a dependency on JSON.NET, adding the build nuget would unnecessarily add it.
Attempt 2
I used nuget.exe spec to create a .nuspec file. At the end of the file, I added:
<files>
<file src="bin\Release\**" target="build" />
<file src="build\**" target="build" />
</files>
However, both "dotnet pack" and "msbuild /t:pack" ignore the file, and nuget.exe pack fails with the error Unable to find 'bin\Release\0-WriteATask\bin\Release\'. Make sure the project has been built..
If I try nuget.exe pack Zipper.nuspec or msbuild /t:pack /p:NuspecFiles=Zipper.nuspec, they both fail with the message Value cannot be null or an empty string..
Attempt 3
I edited the nuspec to remove all of the placeholders that are normally calculated from the project (any string starting and ending with a $). Then, doing a nuget.exe pack Zipper.nuspec created a nupkg file, and the net46 folder contains Newtsonsoft.Json.dll, but the netstandard1.3 folder does not.
The way MSBuild loads a task assembly can make it tricky to load additional assemblies that you may depend on.
Typically, the easiest way to solve this is to ship a copy of your dependencies inside your NuGet package. But your dependencies alongside your task assembly file in the package. There may be some additional complications that require you to use AssemblyLoadContext or the AppDomain.AssemblyResolve event.
You can do this without a nuspec file by forcing MSBuild to copy your assemblies into the local build output, and then copying them into your package. Set CopyLocalLockFileAssemblies=true, and add the items to _PackageFiles
Here's an example of how to do that: https://github.com/madskristensen/BundlerMinifier/blob/3333b5c38289a247391966443370ee6f4a29bf26/src/BundlerMinifier/BundlerMinifier.csproj#L35-L47
Hopefully, this will be addressed in the future, https://github.com/Microsoft/msbuild/issues/1312, and the task assembly resolution will use the NuGet cache.
Try it with the 9.0.1 version of Newtonsoft.Json, it worked for me, all these dll load problems went away, and it still targets .NET Standard. Although I did copy all the dependencies next to the task dll, but with the 10.x version even that didn't help.

MSBUILD Dynamically Create Config XML Dotfuscator

I am trying to obfuscate bunch of files in a directory and every build there are more and more files being generated. I would like to know if there is a way I can dynamically create the Dotfuscator configuration xml file using a MSBUILD task that will generate the xml file every time there is a new file added to the directory?
This might be a good time to use the Directory input. Rather than representing a single assembly (.exe or .dll), this type of Dotfuscator input captures all the assemblies in a directory. When the contents of the directory change, Dotfuscator's build will automatically pick up any new assemblies.
To make a Dotfuscator config file with a Directory input, open the GUI and add an input as you normally would (directions for Community Edition's GUI and for Professional Edition's standalone GUI), but instead of selecting a file from the Browse... dialog, just navigate to the directory and click "Open" while the "File name" is still listed as "Folder Select". Then, save your configuration.
From now on, whenever you run Dotfuscator (whether from the standalone GUI, the command line, the Visual Studio integration, or the MSBuild task), all assemblies in the directory will be processed as input.
Note: If you look at the config file itself, you might be surprised that it will still list individual assemblies:
<input>
<loadpaths />
<asmlist>
<package refid="19e1b0c5-7221-476f-af4b-bafef68edc95">
<file dir="C:\code\BasicTestApp\BasicTestApp\bin" name="Debug" />
<asmlist>
<inputassembly refid="a6da5d8d-c181-4103-840d-d8cc7c85937a">
<option>honoroas</option>
<option>stripoa</option>
<option>transformxaml</option>
<file dir="" name="BasicTestApp.exe" />
</inputassembly>
<inputassembly refid="df84dad0-fbe8-49ab-b8c8-9fb59e706785">
<option>honoroas</option>
<option>stripoa</option>
<option>library</option>
<option>transformxaml</option>
<file dir="" name="ClassLibrary.dll" />
</inputassembly>
</asmlist>
</package>
</asmlist>
</input>
Despite this layout, Dotfuscator will process all assemblies in the C:\code\BasicTestApp\BasicTestApp\bin\Debug directory when it runs a build based off this config file, not just those two listed.
The assembly elements in the config are just there so that you can still make rules against individual assemblies in the GUI (e.g., to make one assembly be in Library Mode).
The list represents the state of the directory when the GUI last modified the config.
Disclaimer: I work for the Dotfuscator team, and am answering this question as part of my job.
Additional note due to clarification in the comments: the directory package has a feature where you can exclude certain assemblies from obfuscation. These assemblies will be treated as a Package Artifact and just copied from input-to-output without modification. Any obfuscated assemblies that refer to these excluded assemblies will still be processed correctly.
To do this in the GUI, right-click on the assembly within the package, and select "Exclude assembly from package". Or, if you'd prefer to edit the config file, add the following <option> tag as a child of each relevant <inputassembly> tag:
<option>artifact</option>
The latest Dotfuscator version 4.41.1 has the latest flag
true
This will generate the Dotfuscator config file if the file is missing. Also you can add this to the csproj as documented in the latest getting started guide https://www.preemptive.com/dotfuscator/pro/userguide/en/getting_started_protect.html