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ASP.NET Core Project File
In this article, I will discuss the ASP.NET Core Project File in detail. Please read our previous article discussing How to Create the ASP.NET Core Web Application using Visual Studio 2022 and the different project templates available as part of the ASP.NET Core Web Application.
ASP.NET Core Project File
If you have worked with the previous versions of ASP.NET Framework, then you may know that while creating a Project in Visual Studio, it creates a project file for us. If you use C# as the programming language, it will create the project file with the “.csproj” extension. Similarly, if you use VB as the programming language, it will create the project file with the “.vbproj” extension. However, with ASP.NET Core (.NET), the project file’s format and content have changed significantly. Let us understand what changes are made to the ASP.NET Core Project file with an example.
How Can We Edit the Project File in Previous Versions of ASP.NET?
In our previous versions of the ASP.NET Framework, we needed to follow the steps below to edit the project file.
- First, we need to unload the project
- Then, we need to edit the project file using Notepad
- Once we edit the project file then, we need to save the project file
- Then, reload the project.
However, with ASP.NET Core (.NET), we can edit the project file without unloading the project.
How we can Edit the ASP.NET Core Project File:
To edit the ASP.NET Core project file, right-click on the project name in the Solution Explorer and then select Edit Project File from the context menu, as shown in the image below.
Once you click on Edit Project File, the Project file will open in the Visual Studio editor, as shown in the image below.
Understanding the ASP.NET Core Project File:
The .csproj file is an XML file that contains information about your project, such as its dependencies, build configuration, target framework, and other settings. Let us understand the above settings:
<Project Sdk=”Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web”>
This line specifies the SDK that the project will use. In this case, it is using “Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web”, which means it is an ASP.NET Core project with web-specific configurations and dependencies. The Microsoft.NET.Sdk.Web SDK provides the tools, libraries, and dependencies required to develop, build, and run ASP.NET Core Web applications.
<PropertyGroup>
This section defines various project properties. Each property in this group affects how the project is built or configured. Multiple PropertyGroup elements can exist in a .csproj file. Properties within this group define aspects like the target framework, nullable reference type handling, and implicit using.
<TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>:
This line defines the target framework that the project is built against. TargetFramework specifies which version of the .NET runtime your application will use. In this case, it is .NET 8.0. Targeting a specific framework version allows the project to use features, libraries, and runtime optimizations specific to that version of .NET.
<Nullable>enable</Nullable>:
This line enables nullable reference types for the project. This feature was introduced in C# 8.0 and helps prevent null reference exceptions by making reference types (like a string, class, etc.) either explicitly nullable or non-nullable. When Nullable is set to enable:
- The compiler will give warnings if a potentially null value is not handled properly.
- It makes code safer and more resilient to null-related runtime errors by clearly distinguishing which variables are allowed to be null.
<ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
The ImplicitUsings setting is enabled. This feature, introduced in .NET 6, automatically includes commonly used using directives (e.g., System, System.Collections.Generic, System.Linq, Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http, etc.) without explicitly adding them to every file. This makes the project files cleaner and ensures that standard namespaces are included without requiring manual addition to each file.
Adding Packages in ASP.NET Core:
As we already discussed, the ASP.NET Core Framework follows a Modular approach. This means that by default, it will not include anything, i.e., package references to the project. Only the necessary packages are added by default.
Whenever we add new packages to our application, the package reference will also be added to the application project file. Please have a look at the following Dependencies section of our project. Whenever we add a package, that package and its dependency packages will be stored here.
Let’s first add a package from the NuGet Package Manager and see what happens. To do so, go to Tools => NuGet Package Manager => Manage NuGet Packages for Solution… option from the context menu, as shown in the image below.
Now, let us add the Newtonsoft.json package. Select the browse tab, search for Newtonsoft, and install it, as shown in the image below.
Once the package is installed successfully, a reference will be added inside the dependencies section, as shown in the image below.
As we have only added one package, Newtonsoft.json, it added its package references here. At the same time, it will also add that package reference in the application project file, as shown in the image below.
Understanding <ItemGroup>
The <ItemGroup> element is used to define a group of items, such as package references, project references, or folder references, that should be included in the project. This specific ItemGroup contains one package reference:
- <PackageReference Include=”Newtonsoft.Json” Version=”13.0.3″ />: This element specifies a package reference to the Newtonsoft.Json NuGet package, version 13.0.3. The Newtonsoft.Json package is a popular JSON framework for .NET that is used to serialize and deserialize JSON data. By including this package reference, the project can use the functionality provided by Newtonsoft.Json.
Note: Once we delete that package, then it will delete the reference from both the Package Dependencies as well as from the project file.
Deleting Package in ASP.NET Core:
Again, go to the NuGet Package Manager, select the installed tab, select the package, and uninstall it, as shown in the image below.
Once you delete the package, it should remove the reference from both the dependencies and the project file.
In the next article, I will discuss the ASP.NET Core Main Method in detail. In this article, I will try to explain the ASP.NET Core Project File in detail. I hope you enjoy this article, and I would like your feedback. Please post your feedback, questions, or comments about this ASP.NET Core Project File article.
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