I always try to create NuGet packages for Catel to create an “as easy as possible” installation experience. Catel uses lots of code snippets to increase the speed at which a developer can create view models and more. So, how do we deploy these code snippets using NuGet?
Good question, I couldn’t find the answer so I decided to create the solution myself. The cool thing about NuGet is that it supports Powershell scripts. Keep in mind that this is not an introduction to NuGet, I expect you to already know how to create basic NuGet packages.
Files preparation
First, create a “tools” folder if you haven’t already created that for your NuGet package. Then, copy all your code snippets into that directory so you have something like the image below:
As you can see, both the code snippets as the scripts are located in the “tools” folder of the package. For more information about what kind of scripts can be included, please read the NuGet documentation.
Install script
Let’s take a look at the content of the scripts. I created a Powershell script (install.ps1) with the following content:
1: # Install script for code snippets with NuGet
2: # =============================================
3: # Written by Geert van Horrik (see http://blog.catenalogic.com)
4: #
5: # Version 1.0 / 2011-02-18
6: #
7: # Required call to get environment variables
8:
9: param($installPath, $toolsPath, $package, $project)
10:
11: # You only have to customize the $snippetFolder name below,
12: # don't forget to rename the $snippetFolder of the other file
13: # ("uninstall.ps1") as well
14:
15: $snippetFolder = "Catel"
16:
17: # Actual script start
18: $source = "$toolsPath\*.snippet"
19: $vsVersions = @("2005", "2008", "2010")
20:
21: Foreach ($vsVersion in $vsVersions)
22: {
23: $myCodeSnippetsFolder = "$HOME\My Documents\Visual Studio $vsVersion\Code Snippets\Visual C#\My Code Snippets\"
24: if (Test-Path $myCodeSnippetsFolder)
25: {
26: $destination = "$myCodeSnippetsFolder$snippetFolder"
27: if (!($myCodeSnippetsFolder -eq $destination))
28: {
29: if (!(Test-Path $destination))
30: {
31: New-Item $destination -itemType "directory"
32: }
33:
34: "Installing code snippets for Visual Studio $vsVersion"
35: Copy-Item $source $destination
36: }
37: else
38: {
39: "Define a value for snippetFolder variable, cannot be empty"
40: }
41: }
42: }
The code should fairly speak for itself. On my test-machine (Windows 7, 32-bit, only VS 2010 installed), this is the output:
“Installing code snippets for Visual Studio 2010”
Uninstall script
A good installer should also uninstall the contents if required. Therefore, there is also an uninstall script (uninstall.ps1):
1: # Uninstall script for code snippets with NuGet
2: # =============================================
3: # Written by Geert van Horrik (see http://blog.catenalogic.com)
4: #
5: # Version 1.0 / 2011-02-18
6: #
7: # Required call to get environment variables
8:
9: param($installPath, $toolsPath, $package, $project)
10:
11: # You only have to customize the $snippetFolder name below,
12: # don't forget to rename the $snippetFolder of the other file
13: # ("install.ps1") as well
14:
15: $snippetFolder = "Catel"
16:
17: # Actual script start
18: $source = "$toolsPath\*.snippet"
19: $vsVersions = @("2005", "2008", "2010")
20:
21: Foreach ($vsVersion in $vsVersions)
22: {
23: $myCodeSnippetsFolder = "$HOME\My Documents\Visual Studio $vsVersion\Code Snippets\Visual C#\My Code Snippets\"
24: if (Test-Path $myCodeSnippetsFolder)
25: {
26: $destination = "$myCodeSnippetsFolder$snippetFolder"
27: if (!($myCodeSnippetsFolder -eq $destination))
28: {
29: if (Test-Path $destination)
30: {
31: "Uninstalling code snippets for Visual Studio $vsVersion"
32: Remove-Item $destination -recurse -force
33: }
34: }
35: else
36: {
37: "Define a value for snippetFolder variable, cannot be empty"
38: }
39: }
40: }
How should I use the scripts for my own packages?
I developed the scripts in such a way that they are compatible with all known versions of Visual Studio (2005, 2008 and 2010). The cool thing is that you only have to modify the following line in both scripts:
1: $snippetFolder = "Catel"
Just give the folder your own name. Don’t think to be smart by renaming it to “”. You will then delete all the code snippets of the user, and I can tell you one thing: they won’t be happy… I added a protection for this in the script, but just make sure you don’t do that.
Downsides
The downside of this script is that if a package is used in multiple projects, and it is uninstalled in one project, the code snippets are uninstalled and thus not available for other projects. You might want to choose to keep the files on the system as garbage, it’s up to you.
Downloads
NuGet Code Snippets scripts.zip (1.32 kb) [Downloads: 373]
Disclaimer:
Only tested on Windows 7 32-bit with Visual Studio 2010 and NuGet 1.1.
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