NuGet.exe does not resolve to the latest version of a package when using * in PackageReference (MSBuild/Dotnet/VS restore do)

[realrubberduckdev]

Details about Problem

Please note this is the same issue described in #6640. But please do check the repro steps as it doesn't actually work. Unsure how it worked then.

Issue is if packagereference is set to "*" then it resolves to lowest available version and not highest one. In #6640 the discussion seems to suggest that highest version should be picked up.

What is the recommended method to get packagereference to resolve to highest available version?
This is a very useful feature, say if we are doing integration testing with latest available package.

NuGet product used (NuGet.exe | VS UI | Package Manager Console | dotnet.exe):
NuGet.exe

NuGet version (x.x.x.xxx):
5.0.2.5988

dotnet.exe --version (if appropriate):

VS version (if appropriate):

OS version (i.e. win10 v1607 (14393.321)):
Win 10 Pro 1803

Worked before? If so, with which NuGet version:
It has been suggested in #6640 that it used to work. But it has never worked for me.

Detailed repro steps so we can see the same problem

1. Create an empty folder

2. Add test.csproj using the xml below

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net45</TargetFramework>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Selenium.WebDriver" Version="*"/>
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

3. To start from a clean state, from a prompt run
   nuget locals all -clear

4. Do a nuget restore with detailed output
   nuget restore -Verbosity detailed .\test.csproj

See that Selenium.WebDriver has resolved to 2.2.0 and not the latest available package version on nuget.org.
Acquired lock for the installation of Selenium.WebDriver 2.2.0

What is the recommended mechanism to be able to resolve to latest available package version using package reference?

[zivkan]

msbuild -t:restore and dotnet restore work correctly on my machine, and I was able to repro the bug with nuget restore. If your solution does not contain any packages.config projects, then I suggest you use msbuild or dotnet restore instead of nuget restore. Otherwise, I suggest doing one of these other restores after a nuget restore until the bug is fixed.

[nkolev92]

I'd imagine it works with everything but *.

Namely I'd imagine 3.* works as expected.

The root cause is the same as #8073 and #6697.

[nkolev92]

This won't land in 5.3.