Is it possible to utilize OctoPack with the new PackageReference NuGet format?

Question

We recently upgraded our assemblies to use the PackageReference format instead of the packages.config for our NuGet dependencies. One of the packages, OctoPack, stopped working after doing this. Is there any way to get OctoPack to work while still using the PackageReference format?

Answer 1

Yes, but you have to use Octo.exe pack (same process as for ASP.NET Core applications)

Answer 2

Yes. Recent Nuget versions will autogenerate imports for the MSBuild tasks in the obj/xxx.csproj.nuget.g.targets file.

If it doesn't...

When using packages.config, Nuget will add something like this to your csproj.

<Target Name="EnsureNuGetPackageBuildImports" BeforeTargets="PrepareForBuild">
<PropertyGroup>
  <ErrorText>This project references NuGet package(s) that are missing on this computer. Enable NuGet Package Restore to download them.  For more information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=322105. The missing file is {0}.</ErrorText>
</PropertyGroup>
<Error Condition="!Exists('..\packages\OctoPack.3.6.4\build\OctoPack.targets')" Text="$([System.String]::Format('$(ErrorText)', '..\packages\OctoPack.3.6.4\build\OctoPack.targets'))" />

and

<Import Project="..\packages\OctoPack.3.6.4\build\OctoPack.targets" Condition="Exists('..\packages\OctoPack.3.6.4\build\OctoPack.targets')" />

The EnsureNuGetPackageBuildImports target is probably already there, even before.

If you add this to your csproj (or keep it, if you converted from packages.config) it will sort of still work. The problem is that packages are not stored in "..\packages".

This is easily fixed by replacing e.g "..\packages\OctoPack.3.6.4" with "$(NuGetPackageRoot)\octopack\3.6.4". Of course you need the PackageReference to octopack. It will be enough to make a restore operation put the package in $(NuGetPackageRoot).

YMMV, but it works for me, both locally and in CI (TeamCity)