.NET Kickstart

A powerful Python script that automates the creation of C# console applications with customizable templates and framework selection.

🚀 Features

• Interactive Project Creation - Simple command-line interface for creating C# projects
• Framework Selection - Automatically detects and allows selection from installed .NET SDKs
• Template-Based Architecture - Clean separation of templates for easy customization
• Multi-Language Support - Originally created in Vietnamese, now fully in English
• Error Handling - Robust error handling with user-friendly messages
• Template Customization - Easy to modify project structure and content

📋 Requirements

• Python 3.6 or higher
• .NET SDK (any version - the tool will detect installed versions)
• Terminal/Command prompt access

🛠️ Installation

1. Clone or download the project files
2. Ensure create_csharp_project.py is executable:

   chmod +x create_csharp_project.py

3. Verify .NET SDK is installed:

   dotnet --version

📖 Usage

Basic Usage

Run the script from the terminal:

python3 create_csharp_project.py

Interactive Flow

1. Enter Project Name: Provide a name for your new C# project
2. Select Framework: Choose from detected .NET SDKs or use default (net7.0)
3. Project Creation: The tool creates a complete project structure

Example Session

$ python3 create_csharp_project.py
🚀 Create Simple C# Project
========================================
Enter C# project name: MyAwesomeApp

📋 Available .NET Framework Versions:
  1. net6.0
  2. net7.0
  3. net8.0

Select framework (1-3) or press Enter for default (net7.0): 2
🎯 Selected framework: net7.0
📁 Created directory: MyAwesomeApp
✅ Created file: Program.cs
✅ Created file: README.md
✅ Created file: MyAwesomeApp.csproj

🎉 Project 'MyAwesomeApp' has been created successfully!
📂 Project directory: /path/to/MyAwesomeApp

To run the project:
   cd MyAwesomeApp
   dotnet run

✅ Complete! Project is ready to use.

📁 Project Structure

After running the tool, your project will have this structure:

MyProject/
├── Program.cs          # Main C# source file
├── README.md           # Project documentation
└── MyProject.csproj    # .NET project file

Generated Files

Program.cs

using System;

namespace MyProject
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Hello World from MyProject!");
        }
    }
}

MyProject.csproj

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net7.0</TargetFramework>
    <RootNamespace>MyProject</RootNamespace>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

⚙️ Configuration

Template Customization

The tool uses template files located in the templates/ directory:

• templates/Program.cs.template - Main source code template
• templates/README.md.template - Documentation template
• templates/project.csproj.template - Project file template

Template Variables

• {PROJECT_NAME} - Replaced with the user-provided project name
• {FRAMEWORK_VERSION} - Replaced with selected .NET framework version

Customizing Templates

To customize generated files, edit the template files:

1. Modify templates/Program.cs.template for different starter code
2. Update templates/README.md.template for custom documentation
3. Edit templates/project.csproj.template for different project settings

🔧 Advanced Features

Framework Detection

The tool automatically detects installed .NET SDKs using:

dotnet --list-sdks

Detected frameworks are presented as numbered options during project creation.

Default Framework

If no framework is selected (user presses Enter), the tool defaults to net7.0.

Error Handling

The tool includes comprehensive error handling for:

• Missing project names
• Template file errors
• Directory creation failures
• .NET SDK detection issues

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: No .NET SDKs detected

⚠️  No .NET SDKs detected, using default framework (net7.0)

Solution: Install a .NET SDK or verify dotnet command is available in PATH

Issue: Template files not found

❌ Error loading template templates/Program.cs.template: [Errno 2] No such file or directory

Solution: Ensure the templates/ directory exists and contains the required template files

Issue: Permission denied creating directory

❌ Error creating directory: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'ProjectName'

Solution: Run the script from a directory where you have write permissions

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

1. Check that all requirements are met
2. Verify file permissions
3. Ensure .NET SDK is properly installed
4. Check the templates directory exists

🤝 Contributing

To contribute to this project:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Created with Cline AI Assistant
• Supports multiple .NET framework versions
• Template-based architecture for maintainability

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Happy Coding! 🎉