lr.Dotnet.Dotfiles

NuGet package that deploys standard dotfiles (.gitignore, .gitattributes, .editorconfig, .aiignore, .dockerignore, .stignore) to consuming .NET projects at build time. Uses MSBuild RoslynCodeTaskFactory with smart merge/upsert logic for structured files.

Technology stack

Getting started

As a consumer

Add the NuGet package reference to your .csproj:

<PackageReference Include="lr.Dotnet.Dotfiles" Version="*" />

Build your project. On first build, the task deploys all dotfiles according to the configured modes.

Configuration

To customize behavior, add a Directory.Build.props in your repository root with the following properties:

<Project>
  <PropertyGroup Label="lr.Dotnet.Dotfiles">
    <DotnetDotfilesTargetFolder></DotnetDotfilesTargetFolder> <!-- Empty = auto-discover (.git then .sln), or set explicit path -->
    <DotnetGitignoreMode>override</DotnetGitignoreMode> <!-- override | createifmissing | never -->
    <DotnetGitattributesFileMode>upsert</DotnetGitattributesFileMode> <!-- upsert | never -->
    <DotnetGitattributesValueMode>override</DotnetGitattributesValueMode> <!-- override | fill | never -->
    <DotnetEditorconfigFileMode>upsert</DotnetEditorconfigFileMode> <!-- upsert | never -->
    <DotnetEditorconfigValueMode>override</DotnetEditorconfigValueMode> <!-- override | fill | never -->
    <DotnetAiignoreMode>override</DotnetAiignoreMode> <!-- override | createifmissing | never -->
    <DotnetDockerignoreMode>override</DotnetDockerignoreMode> <!-- override | createifmissing | never -->
    <DotnetStignoreMode>override</DotnetStignoreMode> <!-- override | createifmissing | never -->
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

Mode reference

Line-based files (.gitignore, .aiignore, .dockerignore, .stignore): | Mode | Behavior | |---|---| | override | Overwrite file with template content | | createifmissing | Create from template only if file doesn't exist | | never | Skip entirely |

Key-value files (.gitattributes, .editorconfig):

File mode: | Mode | Behavior | |---|---| | upsert | Create if missing, or merge with existing | | never | Skip entirely |

Value mode (only applies when file mode = upsert and file already exists): | Mode | Behavior | |---|---| | override | Replace existing values with template values + add missing entries | | fill | Only add missing entries, don't modify existing values | | never | Don't add or modify any entries |

Project structure

lr_Dotnet_DotFiles/
├── lr.Dotnet.Dotfiles.csproj   # Pack-only project for NuGet packaging
├── lr.Dotnet.Dotfiles.sln      # Solution file
├── pack-libs.sh                  # Builds a versioned .nupkg and pushes to feed
├── azure-pipelines.yml           # CI/CD pipeline
├── nuget.config                  # NuGet feed configuration
├── templates/                    # Dotfile templates (packed into NuGet)
│   ├── .gitignore.template
│   ├── .gitattributes.template
│   ├── .editorconfig.template
│   ├── .aiignore.template
│   ├── .dockerignore.template
│   └── .stignore.template
├── msbuild/                      # MSBuild integration (packed into build/)
│   ├── lr.Dotnet.Dotfiles.props     # Default property values
│   ├── lr.Dotnet.Dotfiles.targets   # UsingTask + Target definition
│   └── DeployDotfiles.cs             # RoslynCodeTaskFactory task implementation
├── AGENTS.md                     # AI agent instructions
├── README.md                     # This file
└── docs/
    ├── 10_Quickstart.md          # Consumer setup guide
    ├── 20_Deployment.md          # NuGet packaging and CI/CD
    └── 80_Architecture.md        # Architecture overview

Documentation

Deployment

This project produces a NuGet package. To build and publish:

bash pack-libs.sh

The package is published to the DigitalHubDotnet Azure Artifacts feed. Consuming projects reference it as a standard NuGet dependency.

Contributing

Code style guidelines are defined in AGENTS.md. Key rules:

• Use explicit types (no var)
• snake_case for local variables, method parameters, and constructor arguments
• PascalCase for public properties
• Private/protected fields use snake_case with leading underscore