CPMGen

A command-line tool that helps you quickly migrate large .NET solutions to Central Package Management (CPM). CPMGen automatically generates Directory.Packages.props files and updates your .csproj files, making the transition to centralized package management effortless.

Why CPMGen?

Migrating large solutions with multiple projects to Central Package Management can be tedious and error-prone. CPMGen automates this process, allowing you to modernize your .NET solution's package management in seconds instead of hours.

Features

• 🔍 Automatically scans for .sln or .csproj files in your solution, or you can tell it where to look
• 📦 Generates Directory.Packages.props with all package versions centralized
• 🔄 Updates project files to remove version attributes automatically
• 💾 Built-in backup functionality to keep your original files safe
• 🚫 Optional .gitignore integration for backup directories

Installation

# Install as a global .NET tool
dotnet tool install --global CPMGen

After installation, the CPMGen command will be available globally in your terminal.

Usage

Basic Usage

# Convert all projects in current directory
CPMGen

# Convert projects in a specific solution
CPMGen -s path/to/solution

# Convert a specific project
CPMGen -p path/to/project.csproj

Options

Option	Short	Description	Default
--solution	-s	Directory to search for .sln files (overrides project option)	. (current directory)
--project	-p	Directory or path to .csproj file(s)	-
--output-dir	-o	Output directory for Directory.Packages.props	. (current directory)
--keep-attrs	-k	Keep Version attributes in .csproj files	false
--no-backup	-n	Disable automatic backup of .csproj files	false
--backup-dir	-	Directory for backing up modified .csproj files	. (current directory)
--add-gitignore	-	Add backup directory to .gitignore (creates if missing)	false
--gitignore-dir	-	Directory for .gitignore	. (current directory)

Examples

# Default behavior - convert all projects in current directory
CPMGen

# Convert only a specific project
CPMGen -p path/to/project.csproj

# Specify custom output directory
CPMGen -o ../upDir

# Convert solution with custom backup location
CPMGen -s ./src --backup-dir ./backups --add-gitignore

# Convert without creating backups
CPMGen -n

# Keep version attributes in project files
CPMGen -k

What is Central Package Management?

Central Package Management (CPM) is a NuGet feature that allows you to manage all your package versions in a single Directory.Packages.props file rather than scattered across individual project files. This provides:

• Consistency: Ensures all projects use the same package versions
• Maintainability: Update a package version in one place, apply everywhere
• Reduced conflicts: Fewer merge conflicts in project files during team collaboration
• Better overview: See all your dependencies and versions at a glance

Learn More About CPM

• Official Microsoft Documentation
• Central Package Management in .NET - Milan Jovanović

How it works

On a standard execution:

1. You run cpmgen
2. Scans the current directory for .sln files, if multiple are found you can choose one
3. Parses all the projects defined in the .sln file
4. Backs up all the .csproj files it'll have to udpate so you won't lose any data
5. Generates the Directory.Packages.props file with all the packages + versions found in all the projects
6. Updates the .csproj files to remove Version attributes from package references

Requirements

• .NET SDK: Currently the tool is configured to be built for .NET versions 8 & 9, but I'll add other versions support soon
• Project Format: SDK-style .csproj files (the modern XML format)
• Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux

Compatibility Note

CPMGen works with SDK-style projects introduced in 2017. It does not support the legacy .csproj format used in older .NET Framework projects. If you have a mixed solution, only SDK-style projects will be processed.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Whether it's bug reports, feature requests, or code contributions, your input helps make CPMGen better for everyone.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. It provides maximum flexibility, allowing you to use, modify, distribute, and sublicense the software with minimal restrictions. See the LICENSE file for details.

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

• 🐛 Report a bug
• 💡 Request a feature
• 💬 Ask a question

Acknowledgments

Built to simplify the adoption of NuGet's Central Package Management feature in the .NET ecosystem.