dotnet-tooling

.NET Tooling (stack-agnostic)

Project detection

Determine the project structure at the start of every task:

dotnet CLI — core commands

Always run dotnet commands from the directory containing the .sln or .csproj (or pass the path explicitly).

# Restore NuGet packages
dotnet restore

# Build (all projects in the solution, or a single project)
dotnet build
dotnet build MyApp.sln
dotnet build src/MyApp/MyApp.csproj

# Run (application project)
dotnet run --project src/MyApp/MyApp.csproj

# Run tests
dotnet test
dotnet test --filter "Category=Unit"
dotnet test --logger "trx;LogFileName=results.trx"

# Publish (Release, self-contained optional)
dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish
dotnet publish -c Release --runtime linux-x64 --self-contained

# Check outdated packages
dotnet list package --outdated

# Format code (respects .editorconfig)
dotnet format

# Verify formatting without writing changes (useful in CI)
dotnet format --verify-no-changes

global.json — pin the SDK version

{
  "sdk": {
    "version": "8.0.404",
    "rollForward": "latestPatch"
  }
}

Always read global.json first to learn which SDK version is in use. Do not recommend commands or features that require a higher SDK version than what is pinned.

rollForward: "latestPatch" allows minor patch upgrades automatically — safe for CI. Use "disable" for strict reproducibility.

.csproj — project file conventions

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">

  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>   <!-- or net9.0, net10.0 -->
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>                  <!-- always enable -->
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>      <!-- reduces boilerplate using directives -->
    <TreatWarningsAsErrors>true</TreatWarningsAsErrors>  <!-- recommended for new projects -->
    <AnalysisLevel>latest</AnalysisLevel>        <!-- Roslyn analyzers at latest rules set -->
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <!-- With Central Package Management: version goes in Directory.Packages.props -->
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Abstractions" />
    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" />

    <!-- Without CPM: pin versions explicitly — no floating ranges -->
    <!-- <PackageReference Include="Serilog" Version="4.1.0" /> -->
  </ItemGroup>

</Project>