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📚 ConnectSoft Developer Internal Guide

Welcome to ConnectSoft Templates!
This guide explains how to install, use, and maintain our internal .NET solution templates for building high-quality projects efficiently.

🎯 Overview

ConnectSoft templates are distributed privately via our Azure DevOps Artifacts feed.
They are available through the standard .NET CLI (dotnet new) and automatically appear in Visual Studio after installation.

No VSIX installation is needed.

🛠 Prerequisites

  • ✅ .NET SDK 8 or 9
  • ✅ Access to the ConnectSoft Azure DevOps organization
  • ✅ Basic familiarity with command-line tools

🚀 Install a Template

Step 1: Download the Template Package

  1. Go to Azure DevOps ➔ Artifacts ➔ ConnectSoft Feed.
  2. Find the required template package (e.g., ConnectSoft.LibraryTemplate.Installer).
  3. Download the .nupkg file manually to your local machine.

Example file:
ConnectSoft.LibraryTemplate.Installer.1.0.0.nupkg

Step 2: Install the Downloaded Template

Use the dotnet new install command to install from the downloaded .nupkg:

dotnet new install ./path/to/ConnectSoft.LibraryTemplate.Installer.1.0.0.nupkg

✅ Replace ./path/to/ with the actual folder where you downloaded the file.

After installation:

  • Templates are available via CLI (dotnet new)
  • Templates appear inside Visual Studio ➔ New Project Wizard

🏗️ Create a Project from a Template

Once installed, create a new project:

dotnet new connectsoft-library --name MyAwesomeLibrary

Options:

  • --name ➔ Sets the project folder and project name.

🔄 Updating Templates

When new versions of templates are published, you should update locally.

To update:

  1. Download the newer .nupkg from Azure Artifacts manually.
  2. Uninstall the old version: 
    dotnet new uninstall ConnectSoft.LibraryTemplate.Installer
  3. Install the new version: 
    dotnet new install ./path/to/ConnectSoft.LibraryTemplate.Installer.1.1.0.nupkg

✅ Always keep templates updated to benefit from improvements and fixes.

📋 List Installed Templates

To see all installed templates:

dotnet new --list

Look for templates prefixed with ConnectSoft.

🛠 Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Cannot install directly from Azure DevOps Manual download of .nupkg is required.
Feed access issues Ensure you have Azure DevOps access; contact DevOps Team if needed.
Template not appearing in Visual Studio Close Visual Studio and reopen after template installation.
Multiple versions conflict Use dotnet new uninstall to remove old versions before reinstalling.

👥 Support

If you encounter any issues:

✅ Quick Commands Reference

Action Command
Download .nupkg manually Via Azure DevOps Artifacts
Install template from file dotnet new install ./path/to/ConnectSoft.LibraryTemplate.Installer.1.0.0.nupkg
Create project from template dotnet new connectsoft-library --name MyLibrary
List installed templates dotnet new --list
Uninstall old templates dotnet new uninstall ConnectSoft.LibraryTemplate.Installer