How to make Visual Studio Setup Project detect nuget dependencies consistent with build?

Question

I created a setup project using Microsoft Visual Studio Installer Projects (0.9.3, this is latest for Visual Studio 2019). After setup is executed it installs Nuget package assemblies that are different from the assemblies generated during build.

Why is it doing that and how can I make it to chose assemblies consistent with build assemblies?

My application is for 4.7.2 framework. Typical example is System.ValueTuple.dll (4.0.2)

Build retrieves assembly from: C:\Users\.nuget\packages\system.valuetuple\4.5.0\lib\net47\System.ValueTuple.dll

Install retrieves assembly from: C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework.NETFramework\v4.7.2\Facades\System.ValueTuple.dll

While install based on 4.0.2 creates a concern but works, when I upgrade nuget package to version 4.6 (and assembly to 4.0.3) install switches to using assembly C:\Users\vgdev.nuget\packages\system.valuetuple\4.5.0\ref\net47\System.ValueTuple.dll

If you look closer, you will notice path above has \ref folder and it contains "reference" assembly. Reference assemblies are not meant to be installed and cause errors BadImageformatException.

The build after Nuget package upgrade continues to pull packages from the correct \lib folder and application works fine. So what I want to do is to make installer work consistently with build. Any advice?

Answer 1

Install retrieves assembly from: C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework.NETFramework\v4.7.2\Facades\System.ValueTuple.dll

Which way do you reference that package? I can only reproduce this issue when I add reference manually.(Right-click project=>Add reference=>Browse...) If you're doing so, please remove that reference, and add that reference back by Nuget Package Manager UI .

My application is for 4.7.2 framework. Typical example is System.ValueTuple.dll (4.0.2). When I upgrade nuget package to version 4.6 (and assembly to 4.0.3)

I can only find it with latest 4.5.0 here. And I think it contains the assembly version 4.0.3 instead of 4.0.2.

(I guess something corrupts the process when VS recognize your assembly version cause in most machines it displays 4.0.3 while in one machine, it displays 4.0.2, quite strange...)

The build after Nuget package upgrade continues to pull packages from the correct \lib folder and application works fine. So what I want to do is to make installer work consistently with build. Any advice?

Cause of the issue:

This strange behavior may have something to do with Setup project. I can reproduce same situation and I found this issue only occurs when I use PackageReference format to manage nuget packages in my application.(.net 4.7.2)

PackageReference format is the new nuget package manage format after VS2017. I'm not sure if the Setup project fully support for it.

Here're two suggestions which may help:

1 .I found this issue only occurs when using PackageReference format. So you can try using Packages.config format in your application. And I've checked the setup project can recognize this format well.

Uninstall all PackageReference format packages, and go Tools=>Nuget Packages Manager=>Nuget Package Manager to set the Allow format selection... to true.

Clean all nuget cache and click ok . After that delete bin and obj folders, then restart VS to add those packages back using Packages.config format.

2 .If you continue to use PackageReference format. Try excluding the assembly from ref folder, and manually add that from lib folder by Add=>Assembly=>Browse .

Note: Since Setup project may not fully support packageReference format projects, actually I think #1 could be more suitable for your situation. And you can create a new simple project with packages.config format to check if the issue can be resolved by Packages.config format. Hope it helps:)

Answer 2

It seems that the root cause of the problem is the usage of the BuiltProjectOutputGroupDependencies target by visual studio setup projects instead of the ReferenceCopyLocalPathsOutputGroup target (see PackageReferences put ref instead of lib assemblies in the output group used by VS installer projects ).

The proposed workaround is to overwrite the BuiltProjectOutputGroupDependencies target at the end in the project file of your main project:

<Target
Name="BuiltProjectOutputGroupDependencies"
DependsOnTargets="$(BuiltProjectOutputGroupDependenciesDependsOn)"
Returns="@(BuiltProjectOutputGroupDependency)">
<ItemGroup>
    <BuiltProjectOutputGroupDependency Include="@(ReferenceCopyLocalPaths->'%(FullPath)');
                                          @(ReferenceDependencyPaths->'%(FullPath)');
                                          @(NativeReferenceFile->'%(FullPath)');
                                          @(_DeploymentLooseManifestFile->'%(FullPath)');
                                          @(ResolvedIsolatedComModules->'%(FullPath)');
                                          @(ReferenceComWrappersToCopyLocal->'%(FullPath)')"/>
</ItemGroup>
</Target>