Build .NET Application Workflow

This reusable GitHub Actions workflow automates the process of building .NET applications. It handles package restoration, compilation, and artifact creation with support for version numbering and private NuGet sources.

Functionality Summary

The Build .NET Application workflow includes the following features:

• Version Management:

  • Automatically generates assembly version numbers based on tags or run numbers.
  • For tagged releases: uses tag value with .0 suffix for assembly version.
  • For other builds: uses format 0.0.0.{run-number} for assembly version.
  • For NuGet packages: uses different versioning strategy (see NuGet Versioning section below).

• NuGet Package Management:

  • Restores NuGet packages from configured sources.
  • Supports adding private NuGet sources based on provided accounts and secrets.

• Build Process:

  • Sets up .NET SDK based on global.json configuration.
  • Restores project dependencies.
  • Compiles and publishes the application with assembly version information, or packs NuGet packages with appropriate versioning if specified.
  • Creates build artifacts for deployment.

• Artifact Management:

  • Uploads build output as a downloadable artifact.
  • Configurable artifact naming.

Configuration Options

Workflow Inputs

Input Name	Description	Required	Default Value	Comments
dotnet_folder	Path to the .NET project folder	Yes	None
global_json_folder	Path to the folder containing global.json	No	.	Used for SDK version
nuget_accounts	Comma-separated list of GitHub accounts for NuGet sources	No	Repository owner	Skipped if tokens not provided
dotnet_configuration	.NET build configuration (e.g., Release, Debug)	No	Release
artifact_name	Name of the artifact to upload	No	.net-app
environment_name	Environment name for deployment	No	None
pack	If true, builds a library into NuGet package(s)	No	false

Environment Variables

If an environment is configured, variables configured for the specified environment are used as environment variables when building the SPA.

Secrets

Secret Name	Description	Required
NUGET_ORG_USER	Username for private NuGet source	No
NUGET_ORG_TOKEN	Token for private NuGet source	No

Outputs

Output Name	Description	Example Value
version	The assembly version number used for build	1.2.3.0 or 0.0.0.123
dotnet_version	The .NET SDK version used for the build	8.0.404

Example Usage Scripts

1. Basic Build Configuration

name: Build .NET App

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - master

jobs:
  build:
    uses: Shane32/SharedWorkflows/.github/workflows/build-dotnet.yml@v2
    with:
      dotnet_folder: 'MyAppServer'
    secrets:
      NUGET_ORG_USER: ${{ secrets.NUGET_ORG_USER }}
      NUGET_ORG_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NUGET_ORG_TOKEN }}

2. Advanced Build Configuration

name: Build .NET App

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - master

jobs:
  build:
    uses: Shane32/SharedWorkflows/.github/workflows/build-dotnet.yml@v2
    with:
      dotnet_folder: 'src/MyApp'
      global_json_folder: 'src'
      dotnet_configuration: 'Debug'
      artifact_name: 'my-custom-app'
      environment_name: 'Development'
      nuget_accounts: 'Shane32'
    secrets:
      NUGET_ORG_USER: ${{ secrets.NUGET_ORG_USER }}
      NUGET_ORG_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NUGET_ORG_TOKEN }}

3. NuGet Package Build Configuration

name: Build NuGet Package

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - master

jobs:
  build:
    uses: Shane32/SharedWorkflows/.github/workflows/build-dotnet.yml@v2
    with:
      dotnet_folder: '.'
      pack: true
    secrets:
      NUGET_ORG_USER: ${{ secrets.NUGET_ORG_USER }}
      NUGET_ORG_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NUGET_ORG_TOKEN }}

NuGet Versioning

When using the pack input to create NuGet packages, the workflow uses a different versioning strategy than for application builds:

Version Prefix Setup

NuGet packages should have a VersionPrefix property in their Directory.Build.props file, for example:

<Project>
  <PropertyGroup>
    <VersionPrefix>1.0.0-preview</VersionPrefix>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

Versioning Behavior

• For tagged releases (e.g., tag v3.0.5):

  • Uses -p:Version="3.0.5" to override the VersionPrefix
  • Results in NuGet package version: 3.0.5

• For non-release builds (e.g., run number 304):

  • Uses -p:VersionSuffix="304" to append to the VersionPrefix
  • With VersionPrefix 1.0.0-preview, results in NuGet package version: 1.0.0-preview-304

Assembly Version

The assembly version continues to follow the original pattern:

• Tagged releases: {tag}.0 (e.g., 3.0.5.0)
• Non-release builds: 0.0.0.{run-number} (e.g., 0.0.0.304)

Notes

• global.json is required in the specified global_json_folder
• Assembly version numbering follows the pattern:
  • For tags: {tag}.0 (e.g., 1.2.3 becomes 1.2.3.0)
  • For regular builds: 0.0.0.{run-number}
• NuGet package versioning uses VersionPrefix from Directory.Build.props with VersionSuffix for non-release builds
• The workflow runs on Ubuntu latest
• Build artifacts are automatically uploaded and available for subsequent workflow steps or manual download
• Private NuGet sources are only configured if both username and token secrets are provided