it would also appear that it is important to differentiate file dependencies, where the dependency references a dll assembly file and project dependencies (i.e. what I’m asking about), where the dependency references a project and implicitly the output file of that project. Not really, no. MSBuild doesn’t really care if the reference points to another … Read more
No – Visual Studio uses an internal set of rules to determine what to set Copy Local to. From MSDN: If the reference is another project, called a project-to-project reference, then the value is true. If the assembly is found in the global assembly cache, the value is false. As a special case, the value … Read more
For Reference and ProjectReference items, the accepted values for Private are: True or False This property in msbuild corresponds with the project reference property in VS as Copy Local. I got the above answer by manually setting the reference properties in VS and viewing the xml. I couldn’t find official documentation of the Private item … Read more
Instead of using a PowerShell script another approach is to use an MSBuild targets or props file with the same name as the package id: <Project xmlns=”http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003″> <ItemGroup> <None Include=”$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)importantfile.xml”> <Link>importantfile.xml</Link> <CopyToOutputDirectory>Always</CopyToOutputDirectory> </None> </ItemGroup> </Project> In the nuspec file then, instead of adding the required files to the Content directory, add them to the Build … Read more
Copy local is important for deployment scenarios and tools. As a general rule you should use CopyLocal=True if the reference is not contained within the GAC. Copy Local essentially means I must manually deploy this DLL in order for my application to work. When it’s false it essentially means “I depend on another component which … Read more