DMNSN.ProjectTemplates 8.0.2

Visual Studio Project Templates

Modern .NET project templates featuring Serilog logging, dependency injection, configuration, and opinionated defaults for jump-starting production-ready solutions.

Maintained individually—responses to questions and issues may take time, but feedback is always welcome in the Discussions tab.

Included templates

• DMNSN Console Application – Top-level program with structured logging, configuration, and DI support.
• DMNSN Web API – Minimal API bootstrap with Serilog enrichment and database-first EF Core wiring.
• DMNSN Worker Service – Background service/Windows Service scaffold with health checks and logging.
• DMNSN Class Library – Opinionated .NET class library with nullable enabled and packaging metadata.

All templates target .NET 8.0 and embrace a database-first pattern backed by SQL Server where applicable.

Key features

• Serilog-based logging pipeline with sensible enrichers.
• Built-in dependency injection and configuration binding patterns.
• Database-first Entity Framework Core setup with bulk extension support (for Web API/Worker).
• Consistent code style and project structure across all templates.
• Automated export tooling that keeps metadata and packaging in sync.

Dependencies

• Serilog
  • Serilog.Enrichers.AspNetCore.RequestHeader
  • Serilog.Enrichers.Environment
• Entity Framework Core
• EFCore.BulkExtensions
• Newtonsoft.Json

Quick start

1. Export the templates by using:

    .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1
   

   • By default, all templates under src are exported.
   • Use -Projects "ConsoleApp","Library" to export specific templates.
   • Add -DryRun to preview changes or -LogPath to specify a custom log file.
2. Use the generated .nupkg files in artifacts to install or update the templates for dotnet new.

    dotnet new install .\artifacts\<template-name>.nupkg
   

   • Replace the file name with any other package in artifacts.
   • Rerun dotnet new install with the newer .nupkg to update an existing installation.
3. Launch Visual Studio and create a new project using the DMNSN templates.

For project-specific coding conventions, see the README.md in each src/DMNSN.Templates.Projects.* folder.

Uninstalling a template

dotnet new uninstall DMNSN.ConsoleApp.CSharp

Finding the template identity

• dotnet new list DMNSN shows all installed DMNSN templates; the Identity column is the value for dotnet new uninstall.
• Each src/DMNSN.Templates.Projects.* folder contains a template.config.json with an identity property that matches the uninstall name.

Export script usage (parameters and examples)

The export script lives at scripts/templates/Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 and builds .nupkg packages for dotnet new install.

• Export every template and create packages in artifacts (default):

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1
  

• Export specific templates (case-insensitive; partial names allowed):

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -Projects "ConsoleApp","WebApiRest"
  

• Set an explicit aggregate package version for the bundle:

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -Version 8.0.2
  

• Preview what would be produced without writing files or packing:

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -Projects "Library" -DryRun
  

• Skip building .nupkg files (useful when you only need the transformed template folder):

  .\scripts\templates\Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -Projects "ConsoleApp" -NoPack
  

Additional switches:

• -TemplatesPath overrides the staging folder for generated templates (defaults to output).
• -PackagesPath controls where .nupkg files are written (defaults to artifacts).
• -LogPath writes the detailed log to a specific location; otherwise a timestamped file is placed under logs.
• -AggregateConfigPath path to the running version config (defaults to templatepack.config.json).

Notes:

• Output templates are staged under output before packing. Older staged content for the same template is replaced each run.
• .template.hash files still track content changes in the source projects (skipped during -DryRun).
• The script maintains a running bundle version in templatepack.config.json; it bumps the patch version automatically if any selected template content changed since the last run. Use -Version to override explicitly.
• If logo.ico or preview.png exist at the repository root, they are bundled automatically as __TemplateIcon.ico and __TemplatePreview.png.

Template configuration

Each template folder contains a template.config.json file. The export script reads this metadata and generates a rich .vstemplate manifest automatically.

Use this file as a quick pointer when browsing the repository structure:

1. Update the template.config.json of the template you want to export.
2. Consult the README for property descriptions, tag recommendations, and sample manifests.
3. Run ./scripts/templates/Export-DotnetCliTemplate.ps1 -Projects "ConsoleApp" (swap in your project name) to regenerate the .template.config folder and pack a .nupkg for the dotnet CLI.

Quick reference

{
	"name": "Template Display Name",
	"description": "Detailed description of the template",
	"defaultNamespace": "YourProject.Namespace"
}

Enhanced configuration

{
	"name": "DMNSN Console Application",
	"description": "A modern console application template with logging, dependency injection, and configuration support",
	"defaultNamespace": "DMNSN.Templates.Projects.ConsoleApp",
	"author": "DMNSN",
	"version": "8.0.1",
	"tags": ["console", "application", "logging", "dependency-injection", "configuration"],
	"category": "Console Applications",
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "windows",
	"projectTypeTag": "console",
	"sortOrder": 1000,
	"createNewFolder": true,
	"provideDefaultName": true,
	"locationField": "Enabled",
	"enableLocationBrowseButton": true,
	"createInPlace": true,
	"requiredFrameworkVersion": "8.0",
	"supportedLanguages": ["C#"],
	"templateGroupIdentity": "DMNSN.Templates.Applications",
	"maxFrameworkVersion": "8.0"
}

Required properties

Optional properties

Built-in tag references

Project type (projectType)

• "CSharp", "VisualBasic", "Web", "VC"

Language tags (languageTag)

• "csharp", "visualbasic", "cpp", "fsharp", "javascript", "typescript", "python", "java", "querylanguage", "xaml"

Platform tags (platformTag)

• "windows", "android", "ios", "linux", "macos", "tvos", "xbox", "windowsappsdk", "azure"

Project type tags (projectTypeTag)

• "console", "desktop", "web", "mobile", "cloud", "service", "library", "test", "games", "iot", "extension", "office", "machinelearning", "uwp", "winui", "other"

Recommended combinations

// Console Application
{
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"category": "Console Applications",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "windows",
	"projectTypeTag": "console"
}

// Web API
{
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"category": "Web APIs",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "windows",
	"projectTypeTag": "web"
}

// Worker Service
{
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"category": "Services",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "windows",
	"projectTypeTag": "service"
}

// Class Library
{
	"projectType": "CSharp",
	"category": "Class Libraries",
	"languageTag": "csharp",
	"platformTag": "any",
	"projectTypeTag": "classlib"
}

How metadata maps to .vstemplate

Example generated manifest

<VSTemplate Version="3.0.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vstemplate/2005" Type="Project">
	<TemplateData>
		<Name>DMNSN Console Application</Name>
		<Description>A modern console application template with logging, dependency injection, and configuration support</Description>
		<ProjectType>CSharp</ProjectType>
		<SortOrder>1000</SortOrder>
		<CreateNewFolder>true</CreateNewFolder>
		<DefaultName>DMNSN.Templates.Projects.ConsoleApp</DefaultName>
		<ProvideDefaultName>true</ProvideDefaultName>
		<LocationField>Enabled</LocationField>
		<EnableLocationBrowseButton>true</EnableLocationBrowseButton>
		<CreateInPlace>true</CreateInPlace>
		<Icon>__TemplateIcon.ico</Icon>
		<PreviewImage>__TemplatePreview.png</PreviewImage>
		<Author>DMNSN</Author>
		<ProjectSubType>console,application,logging,dependency-injection,configuration</ProjectSubType>
		<ProjectCategory>Console Applications</ProjectCategory>
		<LanguageTag>csharp</LanguageTag>
		<PlatformTag>windows</PlatformTag>
		<ProjectTypeTag>console</ProjectTypeTag>
		<RequiredFrameworkVersion>8.0</RequiredFrameworkVersion>
		<MaxFrameworkVersion>8.0</MaxFrameworkVersion>
		<TemplateGroupID>DMNSN.Templates.Applications</TemplateGroupID>
		<SupportedLanguages>C#</SupportedLanguages>
	</TemplateData>
	<TemplateContent>
		
	</TemplateContent>
</VSTemplate>

Export script diagnostics

Running the export script provides clear feedback about each template:

⚙ Processing 'DMNSN.Templates.Projects.ConsoleApp'...
📋 Template Name: DMNSN Console Application
👤 Author: DMNSN
🔢 Version: 8.0.1
🏷️ Tags: console,application,logging,dependency-injection,configuration
📂 Category: Console Applications
🎯 Project Type: CSharp

Feedback and support

• File issues or feature requests in Discussions.
• Explore the sample code style in src/DMNSN.Templates.Projects.ConsoleApp and src/DMNSN.Templates.Projects.Library.
• Contributions and suggestions are welcome—help shape the next iteration of these templates.