How do you add an xml file to the App_Data folder of a web site and then modify it with NuGet

Question

I am creating a NuGet package that adds or modifies several xml files. I want the Nuget package to add and then modify the xml files, so the user does not have to do anything to get the file added if it does not exist. I need to modify the xml file to customize it for the specific application.

The code I am using in the .nuspec file is:

  <files>
   <file src="web.config.*.xdt" target="content"/>
   <file src="App_Data\*.xml" target="content\App_Data"/>
   <file src="App_Data\*.xml.*.xdt" target="content\App_Data"/>
   <file src="favicon.ico" target="content\favicon.ico"/>
  </files>

The code with will add the file if they do not exist, or modify them if they do, but it won't add them and then modify them.

Each file I am trying to add then modify as a .install.xml.xdt file associated with it.

I am using a custom RoleManager. The xml file contents are:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<roleManager  />

The xml.install file contains:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<roleManager xmlns:xdt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/XML-Document-Transform" 
         xdt:Transform = "SetAttributes(defaultProvider,enabled,cacheRolesInCookie,cookieProtection)" 
         defaultProvider="RoleProvider" 
         enabled="true" 
         cacheRolesInCookie="true" 
         cookieProtection="All" >
  <providers xdt:Transform="Insert" >
    <clear />
    <add name="RoleProvider" type="Library.RoleProvider" applicationName="$RootNamespace$" />
  </providers>
</roleManager>

Is there any way to accomplish what I want to do?

Answer 1

I have a tentative approach to the problem: Create a dependent solution to add the files.

The dependent solution has the following nuspec section:

  <files>
    <file src="App_Data\*.xml" target="content\App_Data"/>
  </files>

This nuget package is then listed as a dependency in the main library as such:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<package xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/packaging/2010/07/nuspec.xsd">
   <metadata>
     <id>$id$</id>
     <version>$version$</version>
     <title>$title$</title>
     <authors>Timothy R Dooling</authors>
     <owners>$author$</owners>
     <requireLicenseAcceptance>false</requireLicenseAcceptance>
     <description>$description$</description>
     <releaseNotes>Summary of changes made in this release of the package.</releaseNotes>
     <copyright>Copyright 2017</copyright>
     <file src="App_Data\*.xml" target="content\App_Data"/>
     <dependencies>
       <dependency id="LibraryCore" version="1.0.0" />
     </dependencies>
   </metadata>
   <files>
     <file src="web.config.*.xdt" target="content"/>
     <file src="App_Data\*.xml.*.xdt" target="content\App_Data"/>
     <file src="favicon.ico" target="content\favicon.ico"/>
   </files>
</package>

The only hassle with this approach is that you have to uninstall the dependency or hand-delete the added files in order to completely undo the changes made to the application.

It would be preferable since such changes could involve more than one dependencies if the nuspec in the main package would know enough to uninstall the dependent package.

Anyone know how to get it to do that?