DMNSN.ProjectTemplates 10.0.1

Visual Studio Project Templates

Modern .NET project templates featuring Serilog logging, dependency injection, configuration, and opinionated defaults for jump-starting production-ready solutions.

Maintained individually—responses to questions and issues may take time, but feedback is always welcome in the Discussions tab.

Included templates

• DMNSN Console Application – Top-level program with structured logging, configuration, and DI support.
• DMNSN Web API – Minimal API bootstrap with Serilog enrichment and database-first EF Core wiring.
• DMNSN Worker Service – Background service/Windows Service scaffold with health checks and logging.
• DMNSN Class Library – Opinionated .NET class library with nullable enabled and packaging metadata.

All templates target .NET 8.0 and embrace a database-first pattern backed by SQL Server where applicable.

Key features

• Serilog-based logging pipeline with sensible enrichers.
• Built-in dependency injection and configuration binding patterns.
• Database-first Entity Framework Core setup with bulk extension support (for Web API/Worker).
• Consistent code style and project structure across all templates.
• Automated export tooling that keeps metadata and packaging in sync.

Dependencies

• Serilog
  • Serilog.Enrichers.AspNetCore.RequestHeader
  • Serilog.Enrichers.Environment
• Entity Framework Core
• EFCore.BulkExtensions
• Newtonsoft.Json

Quick start

1. Export the templates by using:

    .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1
   

   • By default, all templates under src are exported.
   • Use -Projects "ConsoleApp","Library" to export specific templates.
   • Add -DryRun to preview changes or -LogPath to specify a custom log file.
2. Use the generated .nupkg files in artifacts to install or update the templates for dotnet new.

    dotnet new install .\artifacts\<template-name>.nupkg
   

   • Replace the file name with any other package in artifacts.
   • Rerun dotnet new install with the newer .nupkg to update an existing installation.
3. Launch Visual Studio and create a new project using the DMNSN templates.

For project-specific coding conventions, see the README.md in each src/DMNSN.Templates.Projects.* folder.

Uninstalling a template

dotnet new uninstall DMNSN.ConsoleApp.CSharp

Finding the template identity

• dotnet new list DMNSN shows all installed DMNSN templates; the Identity column is the value for dotnet new uninstall.
• Each src/DMNSN.Templates.Projects.* folder contains a template.config.json with an identity property that matches the uninstall name.

Scripts for Template Management

This project includes PowerShell scripts to automate template creation, packaging, and publishing for dotnet new.

1. Exporting and Packing (Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1)

This is the primary script for creating a .nupkg template package from the source projects. It reads template.config.json from each project, generates template.json files, and bundles them into a NuGet package.

Common Usage:

• Export all templates:

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1
  

• Export specific templates:

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -Projects "ConsoleApp", "WebApiRest"
  

• Set a specific package version:

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -Version 1.2.3
  

• Preview changes without writing files:

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -DryRun
  

Key Parameters:

• -Projects <string[]>: A list of project names to export (e.g., "ConsoleApp"). If omitted, all projects in src are exported.
• -Version <string>: Overrides the auto-incremented package version.
• -DryRun: Shows what would happen without actually creating files.
• -NoPack: Prepares the template folders in output but stops before creating a .nupkg.
• -InstallLatestPackage: After creating the package, it uninstalls any existing version and installs the new one.
• -TemplatesPath <string>: Overrides the staging folder for generated templates (default: output).
• -PackagesPath <string>: Controls where .nupkg files are written (default: artifacts).
• -AggregateConfigPath <string>: Path to the running version config (default: templatepack.config.json).
• -LogPath <string>: Specifies a path for the log file.

2. Publishing to NuGet (Nuget-Published.ps1)

This script automates the entire release process for the dotnet new template pack. It runs the export script, commits version changes, creates a git tag, and pushes the package to NuGet.

Common Usage:

• Export, tag, and push to NuGet (requires NUGET_API_KEY env var):

  .\scripts\templates\Nuget-Published.ps1
  

• Only export the package, without tagging or pushing:

  .\scripts\templates\Nuget-Published.ps1 -ExportOnly
  

• Export and automatically commit/push version changes:

  .\scripts\templates\Nuget-Published.ps1 -AutoCommit -AutoPush
  

Key Parameters:

• -ExportOnly: Runs the export process but skips git tagging and NuGet push.
• -AutoCommit: Automatically commits changes to templatepack.config.json if the version was bumped.
• -AutoPush: Pushes the auto-commit to the remote repository.
• -CommitMessage <string>: A custom commit message (placeholders {version} and {tag} are available).

Template configuration

Each template folder contains a template.config.json file. The export script reads this metadata and generates a rich .vstemplate manifest automatically.

Use this file as a quick pointer when browsing the repository structure:

1. Update the template.config.json of the template you want to export.
2. Consult the README for property descriptions, tag recommendations, and sample manifests.
3. Run ./scripts/templates/Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -Projects "ConsoleApp" (swap in your project name) to regenerate the .template.config folder and pack a .nupkg for the dotnet CLI.

Quick reference

{
	"name": "Template Display Name",
	"description": "Detailed description of the template",
	"defaultNamespace": "YourProject.Namespace"
}

Enhanced configuration

{
	"name": "DMNSN Console Application",
	"description": "A modern console application template with logging, dependency injection, and configuration support",
	"defaultNamespace": "DMNSN.Templates.Projects.ConsoleApp",
	"author": "DMNSN",
	"version": "8.0.1",
	"tags": ["console", "application", "logging", "dependency-injection", "configuration"],
	"category": "Console Applications",
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "windows",
	"projectTypeTag": "console",
	"sortOrder": 1000,
	"createNewFolder": true,
	"provideDefaultName": true,
	"locationField": "Enabled",
	"enableLocationBrowseButton": true,
	"createInPlace": true,
	"requiredFrameworkVersion": "8.0",
	"supportedLanguages": ["C#"],
	"templateGroupIdentity": "DMNSN.Templates.Applications",
	"maxFrameworkVersion": "8.0"
}

Required properties

Optional properties

Built-in tag references

Project type (projectType)

• "CSharp", "VisualBasic", "Web", "VC"

Language tags (languageTag)

• "csharp", "visualbasic", "cpp", "fsharp", "javascript", "typescript", "python", "java", "querylanguage", "xaml"

Platform tags (platformTag)

• "windows", "android", "ios", "linux", "macos", "tvos", "xbox", "windowsappsdk", "azure"

Project type tags (projectTypeTag)

• "console", "desktop", "web", "mobile", "cloud", "service", "library", "test", "games", "iot", "extension", "office", "machinelearning", "uwp", "winui", "other"

Recommended combinations

// Console Application
{
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"category": "Console Applications",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "windows",
	"projectTypeTag": "console"
}

// Web API
{
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"category": "Web APIs",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "windows",
	"projectTypeTag": "web"
}

// Worker Service
{
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"category": "Services",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "windows",
	"projectTypeTag": "service"
}

// Class Library
{
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"category": "Class Libraries",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "any",
	"projectTypeTag": "classlib"
}

How metadata maps to .vstemplate

Example generated manifest

<VSTemplate Version="3.0.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vstemplate/2005" Type="Project">
	<TemplateData>
		<Name>DMNSN Console Application</Name>
		<Description>A modern console application template with logging, dependency injection, and configuration support</Description>
		<ProjectType>CSharp</ProjectType>
		<SortOrder>1000</SortOrder>
		<CreateNewFolder>true</CreateNewFolder>
		<DefaultName>DMNSN.Templates.Projects.ConsoleApp</DefaultName>
		<ProvideDefaultName>true</ProvideDefaultName>
		<LocationField>Enabled</LocationField>
		<EnableLocationBrowseButton>true</EnableLocationBrowseButton>
		<CreateInPlace>true</CreateInPlace>
		<Icon>__TemplateIcon.ico</Icon>
		<PreviewImage>__TemplatePreview.png</PreviewImage>
		<Author>DMNSN</Author>
		<ProjectSubType>console,application,logging,dependency-injection,configuration</ProjectSubType>
		<ProjectCategory>Console Applications</ProjectCategory>
		<LanguageTag>csharp</LanguageTag>
		<PlatformTag>windows</PlatformTag>
		<ProjectTypeTag>console</ProjectTypeTag>
		<RequiredFrameworkVersion>8.0</RequiredFrameworkVersion>
		<MaxFrameworkVersion>8.0</MaxFrameworkVersion>
		<TemplateGroupID>DMNSN.Templates.Applications</TemplateGroupID>
		<SupportedLanguages>C#</SupportedLanguages>
	</TemplateData>
	<TemplateContent>
		
	</TemplateContent>
</VSTemplate>

Export script diagnostics

Running the export script provides clear feedback about each template:

⚙ Processing 'DMNSN.Templates.Projects.ConsoleApp'...
📋 Template Name: DMNSN Console Application
👤 Author: DMNSN
🔢 Version: 8.0.1
🏷️ Tags: console,application,logging,dependency-injection,configuration
📂 Category: Console Applications
🎯 Project Type: CSharp

Feedback and support

• File issues or feature requests in Discussions.
• Explore the sample code style in src/DMNSN.Templates.Projects.ConsoleApp and src/DMNSN.Templates.Projects.Library.
• Contributions and suggestions are welcome—help shape the next iteration of these templates.