Given an assembly I need, how do I find the NuGet package that provides it?
For example, I'm using ASP.NET Web API and I need the definition of DelegatingHandler. In a painful manner, I determine that this is available in the NuGet package Microsoft.Net.Http. But then, by accident, I discover it is also available in the latest (4.0.0) version of System.Net.Http.
There should be an easier way to locate the NuGet package or packages that provide the type rather than having a stumbling and guessing exercise with google.
Right now I also need the type System.Net.Http.ObjectContent, which is found in assembly System.Net.Http.Formatting. However, I'm not sure which NuGet provides it. I should not need to guess, but I'm going to guess that the relevant package is Microsoft.AspNet.WebApi.Client. Unfortunately, that package lists Microsoft.Net.Http as a dependency, rather than the version 4.0.0 of System.Net.Http which I have chosen for my other Web API dependencies.
So I'm kinda stuck trying to figure out what NuGet package or packages to grab.
Is there a "Reverse NuGet Lookup" tool I'm overlooking that would simplify this search?
There's the Reverse Package Search website but it includes only some of the NuGet packages, mostly those from BCL and ASP.NET: http://packagesearch.azurewebsites.net/
In addition, if you are using Visual Studio with the latest tooling, you should be able type a type name and intellisense will tell you what package to add. For example, type IApplicationRuntime, press ctrl + . and you'll get a suggestion for Microsoft.Dnx.Runtime.Abstractions.
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I have two solutions. Both call extension method "AddDbContext" on an object of type IServiceCollection. Both solutions are .NET 5.
It works fine in one project, but the other project doesn't know about the extension method. Is there an easy way to determine which Nuget package I need to install? Short of Googling (which I can do), is there a simple way in Visual Studio to determine which package contains the extension method?
In the working solution I right click on the call to "AddDbContext" and go to definition. It's in namespace "Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection" in file EntityFrameworkServiceCollectionExtensions.cs. Both solutions have package Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection version 5.0.2 installed on the only project.
The solutions don't have all the same packages installed, but from their names I can't decipher which package installed might be adding IServiceCollection.AddDbContext.
I can Google this, of course, I just wonder if there is some menu in Visual Studio which can just tell me which package contains the extension method?
In this particular case, installing package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore v5.0.10 fixed the issue. But why was that package needed, and how could I have determined that using Visual Studio?
If you choose "Peek definition" instead of "Go to definition", then you see the full path of the assembly inside the region at the top of the definition. In the path you see what package it is from.
Some decompiler extensions (such as ILSpy or dotPeek) might also show it in the "Go to definition" view.
I am trying to use some references in Visual Studio, I have installed NuGet to use some libraries.
Is there a way to use only part of the package installed with NuGet? For example, if I am using TeklaOpenApi and the following .dll files are installed with this package:
TeklaModel
TeklaDialog
TeklaDrawing
Use for example just TeklaModel, could I do this using NuGet?
Is there a way to use only part of the package installed with NuGet?
I am afraid that you cannot get what you want. It is designed by nuget package. Usually, when the nuget package contains other dlls which means they are probably depended on a master DLL, or used at runtime.
All of them play an important role in this nuget, so we cannot easily remove them.
Although we can use Assembly Reference format(Right-click on References-->Add Reference--> choose one Dll) to reference the specific dll, but there is a risk that if the DLL depends on other corresponding DLL, an error will be reported. So we don't recommend it.
The best way is to install the whole nuget package with all the related dlls.
Hope it could help you.
What is the difference between a NuGet package, a Reference (is reference similar to a tool?), and a template in Visual Studio?
Why do we need them?
What is done / changed in our project when we install each one of them?
Are they dependent on each other in some way? Which one(s) of them are global installs, and which one(s) need to be installed in every project?
Before any comments or misunderstandings: this answer is NOT composed by me, but it was accepted as an answer here, so for the sake of the users trying to find an answer to this, I am literally Copying the answer to your question in this place.
What is the difference between a NuGet package, a Reference (is reference similar to a tool?), and a template in Visual Studio?
References are used to pull additional libraries into your project. For example, your colleague develop a library which implement some functions that you wanted. You needn't write it by yourself, just add the dll into your project through add reference. Of course you can add any libraries not it come from third part or from Microsoft. But it won't notice you when the libraries changed or updated.
NuGet package is the package manager for the Microsoft development platform including .NET. It will help you manage your packages which installed on your project. When the package has new version released, it will notice you to update it. The NuGet client is a tool provide the ability to produce and consume packages.
Template is similar to a sample project which provides the frameworks based on different type of project. You just need to add your content/functions into this frameworks to implement your requirement. For example, if create a WinForms project, it will reference System.Windows.Forms automatically which contains all stuffs you needed in WinForms project.
Why do we need them?
NuGet package and Reference can help us invoke some functions which have been implemented by others or some have been encapsulated by Microsoft. And the Template can help us create a project without build framework by our self. All of them help us save a lot of time when developing a project.
What is done / changed in our project when we install each one of them?
Add references in your project, it will let you invoke the functions in these references in your project.
Install NuGet packages will add the package reference into your project automatically and then you can use the functions the package provided.
The template will be installed when you install Visual Studio. Most of common templates will be installed. Then you can create a new project through these templates quickly.
Are they dependent on each other in some way? Which one(s) of them are global installs, and which one(s) need to be installed in every project?
Reference and NuGet packages need to referenced/installed on a project. But this project can be create through the templates or can be create by customer self. So in some way, reference and NuGet package are dependent on project.
Templates is global installs and NuGet packages and reference need to be install in every project.
I'm working on a project that uses nuget but does not use package restore. (This is a decision outside of my control by the way, so any answers that involve enabling package restore aren't ones I'll be able to use.)
A handful of projects in the solution (4 out of a total of 34; a WinJS app store project, two ordinary .NET class library, and one of my Azure cloud projects) are reporting this infamous warning:
...packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.13\tools\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets(225,5): warning : All projects referencing Valhalla.Consumer.Core.csproj must install nuget package Microsoft.Bcl.Build. For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=317569.
That link assumes that I'll want to turn package restore on. So does every other bit of advice I've managed to find so far on this subject.
I tried disabling Package Restore in Options -> Package Manager -> General settings, by the way. That doesn't help (and even if it did, it would be undesirable - I use package restore in everything else I work on).
I don't really understand why I'm getting this in a solution that doesn't use package restore. As I understand it, the whole point of the package it's asking for is to support package restore. So in a solution in which package restore is not in use, it seems odd for this package to be present.
However, it appears that certain other nuget packages cause you to depend on this. I have a Windows Runtime Component project that uses Microsoft.Bcl, a nuget package that, for some reason, has a dependency on Microsoft.Bcl.Build. (Visual Studio seemed to add the Microsoft.Bcl package for me when I created the project. Presumably it's necessary.) Other projects seem to acquire a dependency on Microsoft.Bcl.Build via the HTTP client libraries.
So apparently, certain common nuget packages appear to force a dependency on Microsoft.Bcl.Build whether or not you're using package restore.
That would be fine if you could eliminate the warning simply by adding the relevant package to all projects that get this warning. But the vexing thing is that even if I add the Microsoft.Bcl.Build package to the consuming components (e.g., my WinJS Window Store app) I still get this warning! (So it continues to complain that I need to install the nuget package even after I have installed it.)
Does anyone know how to eliminate this warning in this situation? Doing what it asks me to do doesn't seem to be sufficient. What's missing?
I had the same issue. Updating the Microsoft.Bcl.Build package from 1.0.13 to 1.0.14 solved my problem.
We recently had the same issue. Using Nuget 2.8, BCL build 1.0.14, BCL 1.1.9, we had a project A using BCL build, that was referenced by another project B.
Short story: Project B compilation gave the mentioned error although the packaged were added to it. The solution was to remove the packages and re-add them. We ended up doing that for both project A and B.
I believe the cause of the problem was a mismatch in versions. The original project referenced BCL 1.1.8 (the latest version when it was created) was while project B automatically used the more recent BCL 1.1.9.
I am not sure if that's relevant but on the first time we added packages using the project->NuGet package manager, and on the 2'nd time we used the NuGet Console (Tools->Nuget->console).
The remove,add caused a distinct difference in the csproj of project B.
the following lines were added:
<Import Project="..\..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.14\tools\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets" Condition="Exists('..\..\..\packages\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.1.0.14\tools\Microsoft.Bcl.Build.targets')" />
I don't get it - can someone please explain to me why I should use NuGet rather than installing a bunch of libraries via a setup.exe or MSI? What advantage is there?
For example is it better to install Entity Framework 4.3 via NuGet rather than downloading the setup? Also, if I install entity framework via NuGet then is it available to any new solutions or projects that I create (bit confused here).
Basically what does NuGet do that a normal install doesn't do (or vice versa!)
Besides making it simple to add a package to your project, I think NuGet's biggest advantage is dependency management.
NuGet allows project owners to package their libraries as packages. Before, if they depended on other libraries like log4net, they would include those assemblies in their setup/zip file and upload to their web site.
With NuGet, they simply add a reference to these external packages in the .nuspec file. When NuGet installs the package, it will see that there are dependencies and will automatically download and install those packages as well. It also supports conflict management so that if 2 packages depends on different versions, it will figure out the correct one to install.
I think the best way to determine if NuGet will work for you is to actually try using it. I'm sure that once you do, you'll realize that it has many benefits.
Nuget provides several additional benefits:
it automatically configures your projects by adding references to the necessary assemblies, creating and adding project files (e.g. configuration), etc.
it provides package updates
it does all of this very conveniently
What advantage is there?
Nuget simplifies third libraries incorporation : With a single command line (Install-Package EntityFramework) you make your package available for your project. Instead of googling-find the package-download-setup-reference the package in your project...
Auto-Update is not mandatory, Nuget configuration file let you specify the version, or the range of version, that your application is compatible with.
Also, if I install entity framework via Nuget then is it available to any new solutions or projects that I create
Once you installed a package, dlls are copied in a directory at solution level, you can then reference them from there in others projects of your solution.
For each new solutions, re-installing packages is a better solution. As it is very easy with nuget, it won't be a problem.
Nuget contributes to creating a DLL hell and makes the solution go out of control very quickly, especially when different versions of so called "packages" come into play. Apart from assembly versioning, there are now nuget package versions. Nuget is just adding another wrapper over DLLs and does nothing that would make developers' life easier.