Tooling & CI

This page describes how to integrate Slncs into automated builds, code coverage, packaging, and local developer tooling.

Build Pipelines

A typical sequence for wrapper mode:

dotnet restore
dotnet build MySolution.slncs -c Release -v:minimal

For pure script mode:

dotnet restore
slncs-build MySolution.slncs -- -c Release

(Any arguments after -- are passed to the underlying dotnet build invocation in future extensions; current implementation forwards simple arguments directly.)

CI Cache Considerations

  • The transient wrapper for pure mode lives at obj/.slncs-build/*.wrapper.slncs; safe to cache ~/.nuget/packages and build outputs normally.
  • The .slnx is always regenerated; if optimization is needed, future RFC may add timestamp checks or hash caching.

Code Coverage

Because the generator re-invokes MSBuild for each enumerated project, coverage tools that instrument at test invocation time (e.g., dotnet test --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage") will work transparently.

Packaging (NuGet)

If packaging libraries referenced by the generated graph, ensure the build that runs packaging occurs after the .slnx generation (normal if you build the wrapper or run slncs-build first). Standard dotnet pack flows are unaffected.

Local Tool Workflow

  1. Author or copy a .slncs script.
  2. Run slncs-build script.slncs.
  3. Open aggregator obj/<Name>.slnx.proj (optional) in IDE for unified load.

IDE Integration

IDE Notes
Visual Studio Open any constituent project or the aggregator. Wrapper project itself contains only targets, not source.
Rider Open folder / aggregator. No special plugin required.
VS Code Use C# extension; all referenced projects load via Omnisharp or Roslyn LSP.

MSBuild Customization

You can layer properties in the wrapper project file (wrapper mode) just like any SDK-style project – they will not affect nested projects unless forwarded deliberately. Example:

<PropertyGroup>
  <Deterministic>true</Deterministic>
  <Configuration Condition="'$(Configuration)' == ''">Debug</Configuration>
</PropertyGroup>

Logging & Diagnostics

Set -v:diag to examine messages emitted by SlncsExec ([slncs] prefix) and SlnxParse ([slncs-parse]).

Security Considerations

C# scripts are executed at build time via Roslyn scripting:

  • Treat .slncs files like code (review, scanning, supply-chain policies).
  • Avoid executing untrusted scripts.

Reproducibility

Because ordering is normalized and duplicates are removed, the .slnx file should be stable given identical script content and project paths.

Continue: Methodology

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