Deploy .Net Web API to Azure App Service using GitHub Actions and include email template file

Question

I have a .Net Web API project for which I have configured CI/CD using Github actions, it is being deployed on Azure App service. Recently, I have setup an endpoint that sends an email using a .htm template, since this template cannot be resolved in deployed API, this endpoint throws an error -
Could not find a part of the path C:\\home\\site\\wwwroot\\EmailTemplates\\OtpValidation.htm'.
I checked scm in app service and was not able to find the template. I'm not sure how can I include a particular file when deploying through GitHub Actions.

Repository - https://github.com/Jatinchhabra21/bookkeeper-api
Deployed swagger - https://bookkeeper.azurewebsites.net/swagger/index.html
API endpoint - /api/users/new/otp

Answer 1

Thank you @Thiago Custodio for your comments.

In your .csproj file add the below code to copy the EmailTemplates folder to output directory always.

.csproj file:-

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web">

  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net6.0</TargetFramework>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Azure.Extensions.AspNetCore.Configuration.Secrets" Version="1.2.2" />
    <PackageReference Include="Azure.Identity" Version="1.10.2" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.JwtBearer" Version="6.0.24" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.NewtonsoftJson" Version="6.0.22" />
    <PackageReference Include="Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL" Version="7.0.4" />
    <PackageReference Include="Swashbuckle.AspNetCore" Version="6.5.0" />
    <PackageReference Include="System.IdentityModel.Tokens.Jwt" Version="7.0.3" />
  </ItemGroup>
    <ItemGroup>
        <Content Include="EmailTemplates\OtpValidation.htm">
            <CopyToOutputDirectory>Always</CopyToOutputDirectory>
        </Content>
    </ItemGroup>

    <PropertyGroup>
    <GenerateDocumentationFile>true</GenerateDocumentationFile>
    <NoWarn>$(NoWarn);1591</NoWarn>
  </PropertyGroup>


  <ItemGroup>
    <Folder Include="Utility\" />
  </ItemGroup>

</Project>

Also, In your Program.cs make sure you enable static serving by adding > app.UseStaticFiles option like below:-

I created one Asp.NET Core API with .Net 7.0 runtime and created one folder with EmailTemplates by adding OtpValidation.htm and your code inside it, Then I edited my Program.cs to serve the OtpValidation.htm like below:-

My Folder:-

My Program.cs:-

using Microsoft.Extensions.FileProviders;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Add services to the container.
builder.Services.AddControllers();
builder.Services.AddEndpointsApiExplorer();
builder.Services.AddSwaggerGen();

var app = builder.Build();

// Configure the HTTP request pipeline.
if (app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseSwagger();
    app.UseSwaggerUI();
}

app.UseHttpsRedirection();

// Configure static file serving from the EmailTemplates folder
app.UseStaticFiles(new StaticFileOptions
{
    FileProvider = new PhysicalFileProvider(
        Path.Combine(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory(), "EmailTemplates")), // Adjust the path as needed
    RequestPath = "/EmailTemplates" // Virtual path to access files
});

app.UseAuthorization();
app.MapControllers();

app.Run();

Local Output:-

I added this code to my Github Repository and used github action workflow below that build and Deploys the entire dotnet api in Azure Web app:-

Open your solution in the Visual Studio and Publish it via Github Actions Workflow CI/CD like below:-

Github Action workflow got created and ran successfully like below:-