For the extension to work, you need to specify a configuration file that essentially only contains paths (one per line) for searching for projects:
- Exclude File - Path to a file containing enumerations of directories used to exclude projects and libraries
- Include Library File - Path to a file containing enumerations of directories used to include libraries
- Include Project File - Path to a file containing enumerations of directories used to include projects
When you click the Use ProjectReference button, the extension looks through the list of projects included in the solution and begins to process each of them sequentially.
Three switching modes are available:
- From NuGet packages to local projects
- From NuGet packages to local libraries
- From local projects/libraries to NuGet packages
Project dependency search is based on project.assets.json file, which lists all the dependencies of the project. It is created in the /obj folder when using dotnet restore or dotnet build as it implicitly calls restore before build, or msbuid.exe /t:restore with msbuild CLI. If project.assets.json is not found in the specified project directory, then the extension stops processing and displays the following message:
If the file is present, then the extension starts processing explicit and implicit (transitive) dependencies of the project - NuGet packages, framework assemblies. After processing, the Messages tab of the Error List displays information about each changed project and the references included in it.
Note:
When changing references of one type to another, there is no loss of user metadata.
ItemGroups with conditions defined as follows are not handled correctly, which will be fixed in the following versions:
<Choose>
<When Condition=" $(PackageVersion.Contains('unstable')) or '$(SolutionDir)' != '' ">
<ItemGroup>
<PackageReference Include="Library" Version="0.1.0-unstable*" />
</ItemGroup>
</When>
<Otherwise>
<ItemGroup>
<ProjectReference Include="Library" Version="0.1.0-stable*" />
</ItemGroup>
</Otherwise>
</Choose>
Multitargeting as such does not have special support, i.e. a project with TFMs defined as follows:
<TargetFrameworks>
net461;net462;net472;netstandard2.0;netstandard2.1
</TargetFrameworks>Will be processed as if it had TFM:
<TargetFrameworkVersion>
v4.6.1
</TargetFrameworkVersion>In fact, this is governed by the TargetFrameworkMoniker property presented as EnvDTE.Property of EnvDTE.Project.
It is assumed that in the stable version the extension should support Visual Studio 17, 19. However, at the moment, such compatibility is not guaranteed like anything else. The author conducted an initial test in the next version of Visual Studio:
Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2019 Preview
Version 16.5.0 Preview 3.0
Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2019
Version 16.4.2
The test was carried out on classic projects using .NET 4.6.2 with the following dependencies:
- .NET 4.6.2
A project using .NET Core 3.1 and having the following dependencies was also tested:
- .NET Standard 2.1