I'm trying to configure an automated build of a project that has a NuGet package reference, but I'm not having any luck. (FYI I'm still pretty wet behind the ears with all of this, so please provide simple steps and/or configurations.)
Note: this isn't a duplicate of other similar questions, as I'm using a central package repository. Other similar questions make no mention of this important detail, so they should be assumed to not be relevant.
The build runs fine without the reference. I added Newtonsoft.Json and bound to it by including this simple construct:
Dim eHandling As Newtonsoft.Json.ConstructorHandling
eHandling = Newtonsoft.Json.ConstructorHandling.Default
I checked it in and the build started, but NuGet hadn't first copied the assembly to my application's bin folder. It did, however, copy it to here:
Restoring NuGet package Newtonsoft.Json.9.0.1.
Adding package 'Newtonsoft.Json.9.0.1' to folder 'C:\Agent\_work\1\s\packages'
Naturally the build failed, as it couldn't find the dependency.
It's worth noting that I'm using a central package repository on my dev machine:
<config>
<add key="repositoryPath" value="D:\Dev\Packages" />
</config>
I'd like to emulate this behavior on the server as well, e.g. C:\Packages\*\*.nupkg.
I tried using the standard %AppData%\NuGet\NuGet.config file, but the build ignores it. I tried the advice in this answer (using repositoryPath instead of packageSources as shown there), but that causes the server to hang until I restart the VSO Agent service. Thinking it might be a permissions issue, I reconfigured the agent to run under the user account associated with the %AppData% location of NuGet.config. Still no luck. No build.
How can I get NuGet to download and populate the central package repository on the server and then copy the appropriate dependencies to the application bin folder prior to running the build step?
EDIT 1
Update: Apparently something's working, as I now have a C:\Packages\Newtonsoft.Json.9.0.1 folder on the server. However, the assembly still isn't being copied to the application bin folder prior to build. Same result. Failed build.
EDIT 2
OK, I'm getting closer. I created a D: drive on the server and set the local repositoryPath value to D:\Dev\Packages, the same as it is on my dev machine. The build is still failing, but a quick look at the project XML reveals this:
<Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json, Version=9.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=30ad4fe6b2a6aeed, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
<HintPath>..\..\..\Packages\Newtonsoft.Json.9.0.1\lib\net45\Newtonsoft.Json.dll</HintPath>
<Private>True</Private>
</Reference>
How to deal with that relative path? That should fix it, yes?
EDIT 3
OK, that worked. I edited the project and changed HintPath to
D:\Dev\Packages\Newtonsoft.Json.9.0.1\lib\net45\Newtonsoft.Json.dll
I now have a successful build.
But this is going to get real tedious real fast. Surely I'm not going to have to do this for every single NuGet reference in every single project, past present and future... am I?
OK, got it.
As long as the repositoryPath folder on the server is the same number of levels deep as on our dev machine—in relation to the folder in which the Build Agent puts the project file—we can put it anywhere we want and retain the relative HintPath value in the project file.
For example, in my case I ended up setting the server location to C:\Agent\Build\Packages, to match the hierarchical location of the local Git repos on my dev machine:
D:\Dev\Packages
D:\Dev\Git\app.repo\App\App.vbproj
Works great.
EDIT
Just to clarify, the action of copying the assembly from the package folder to the application bin folder isn't a NuGet action. It's an MsBuild action (i.e. the CopyLocal setting in the project's assembly reference properties).
The reason it was failing was that MsBuild couldn't find the assembly to copy, according to its relative reference as specified in the project file.
So technically my question title is incorrect. The NuGet Installer step has been working fine all along.