Setup Guide

This guide covers installation, configuration, and integration scenarios for Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Minimum Requirements

  • .NET: .NET Framework 4.6.2 or higher, .NET Standard 2.0, .NET 8.0, or .NET 10.0
  • C# Version: 7.3 or higher
  • IDE: Visual Studio 2017 or higher, Visual Studio Code, or JetBrains Rider

Optional Tools

  • NuGet CLI: For command-line package management
  • Visual Studio Extensions: For enhanced IntelliSense support

Installation

Standard Installation

For most projects, a standard NuGet package installation is sufficient:

dotnet add package Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable

Local Build Installation

To build and consume the package from a local source:

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/Chris-Wolfgang/IEquatable-Extensions.git
cd IEquatable-Extensions

  2. Build the project:

    dotnet build --configuration Release

  3. Pack the NuGet package (the .nupkg is written to the project's bin/Release/ directory):

    dotnet pack --configuration Release

  4. Add the output directory as a local package source. dotnet nuget add source records the path verbatim in your user-global NuGet config, so it must be an absolute path — a relative path would stop resolving once you run dotnet from a different directory:

    # from the cloned repo root; resolves to an absolute path
dotnet nuget add source "$(pwd)/src/Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable/bin/Release" --name LocalIEquatableExtensions

    On Windows PowerShell, use (Resolve-Path ./src/Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable/bin/Release) instead of $(pwd)/....

  5. Install from the local source — run this in your consuming project, not in the library repo (dotnet add package targets the project in the current directory):

    cd /path/to/your/project
dotnet add package Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable --source LocalIEquatableExtensions

Configuration

Global Using Directives

To make the extensions available throughout your project without explicit using statements, add to your GlobalUsings.cs:

global using Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable;

Or add to your .csproj file (C# 10+):

<ItemGroup>
  <Using Include="Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable" />
</ItemGroup>

IDE Integration

Visual Studio 2017+

  1. Install Visual Studio 2017 or higher (Visual Studio 2022 recommended)
  2. Ensure the ".NET desktop development" workload is installed
  3. The package will provide IntelliSense automatically

Visual Studio Code

  1. Install the C# extension by Microsoft
  2. Install the C# Dev Kit (optional but recommended)
  3. Ensure a compatible .NET SDK is installed and in PATH
// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "dotnet.preferCSharpExtension": true,
  "omnisharp.enableRoslynAnalyzers": true
}

JetBrains Rider

Rider has built-in support for extension methods. No additional configuration needed.

Build Configuration

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions

name: Build

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
    - name: Setup .NET
      uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
      with:
        dotnet-version: | 
          6.0.x
          8.0.x
    - name: Restore dependencies
      run: dotnet restore
    - name: Build
      run: dotnet build --no-restore --configuration Release
    - name: Test
      run: dotnet test --no-build --configuration Release

Note: Adjust the dotnet-version to match your project's target frameworks.

Azure Pipelines

trigger:
- main

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

variables:
  buildConfiguration: 'Release'

steps:
- task: UseDotNet@2
  inputs:
    version: '6.0.x'
- task: UseDotNet@2
  inputs:
    version: '8.0.x'
- task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
  displayName: 'Restore packages'
  inputs:
    command: 'restore'
- task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
  displayName: 'Build'
  inputs:
    command: 'build'
    arguments: '--configuration $(buildConfiguration) --no-restore'
- task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
  displayName: 'Test'
  inputs:
    command: 'test'
    arguments: '--configuration $(buildConfiguration) --no-build'

Note: Adjust the .NET SDK versions based on your target frameworks.

Package Reference Options

Version Pinning

For production applications, pin to a specific version:

<PackageReference Include="Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable" Version="1.0.0" />

Floating Versions

For development or when you want automatic updates (use with caution in production):

<!-- Latest stable (not recommended for production) -->
<PackageReference Include="Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable" Version="*" />

<!-- Latest 1.x version -->
<PackageReference Include="Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable" Version="1.*" />

Warning: Floating versions can introduce breaking changes unexpectedly. Always pin to specific versions in production builds.

Troubleshooting

IntelliSense Not Working

Problem: Extension methods not showing in IntelliSense

Solutions:

  1. Add explicit using directive:

    using Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable;

  2. Check that the package reference exists in .csproj

  3. Restart OmniSharp (VS Code) or Visual Studio

Build Errors

Problem: Compilation errors related to extension methods

Solutions:

  1. Ensure the using directive is present:

    using Wolfgang.Extensions.IEquatable;

  2. Verify the package is properly installed:

    dotnet list package

  3. Clean and rebuild:

    dotnet clean
dotnet build

NuGet Package Not Found

Problem: Cannot find the package in NuGet

Solutions:

  1. Clear NuGet cache:

    dotnet nuget locals all --clear

  2. Verify package source:

    dotnet nuget list source

  3. Add nuget.org as a source:

    dotnet nuget add source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json -n nuget.org

Advanced Scenarios

Multi-Targeting

If your library needs to target multiple frameworks:

<PropertyGroup>
  <TargetFrameworks>net462;netstandard2.0;net8.0;net10.0</TargetFrameworks>
</PropertyGroup>

Note: The library supports .NET Framework 4.6.2, .NET Standard 2.0, .NET 8.0, and .NET 10.0.

Integration with Dependency Injection

The library provides extension methods only, so no DI registration is needed. Simply ensure the using directive is present where you need the extensions.

Next Steps

Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered here:

  1. Check GitHub Issues
  2. Search GitHub Discussions
  3. Create a new issue with:
    • Your .NET version (dotnet --version)
    • Your OS and IDE
    • A minimal reproducible example
    • Error messages and stack traces
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