dotnet-copilot-template

A template repository for dotnet applications that leverage GitHub Copilot (or other agents that respect an instructions file).

Repository Structure

├── src/              # Application source code and projects
├── tests/            # Test projects (unit tests, integration tests)
├── adrs/             # Architecture Decision Records
├── .github/          # GitHub workflows and AI agent instructions
├── Directory.Build.props    # Shared MSBuild properties for all projects
├── Directory.Packages.props # Central Package Management configuration
└── Template.slnx            # Solution file

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• .NET 10 SDK or later

Creating the Projects

You can use dotnet new or aspire new or similar CLI commands to build out the initial projects based on what kind of application you're building.

For example, the following will create a simple Aspire/AspNetApi/BlazorWebAssembly solution:

$Solution = "Template.slnx"
$Root = "src"
$Prefix = "CompanyName.ProjectName"

dotnet new aspire-apphost        -n "$Prefix.AppHost"         -o "$Root/$Prefix.AppHost"
dotnet new aspire-servicedefaults -n "$Prefix.ServiceDefaults" -o "$Root/$Prefix.ServiceDefaults"
dotnet new web                   -n "$Prefix.Web"             -o "$Root/$Prefix.Web"
dotnet new blazorwasm            -n "$Prefix.BlazorClient"    -o "$Root/$Prefix.BlazorClient"
dotnet new classlib              -n "$Prefix.BlazorShared"    -o "$Root/$Prefix.BlazorShared"

dotnet sln $Solution add `
  "$Root/$Prefix.AppHost/$Prefix.AppHost.csproj" `
  "$Root/$Prefix.ServiceDefaults/$Prefix.ServiceDefaults.csproj" `
  "$Root/$Prefix.Web/$Prefix.Web.csproj" `
  "$Root/$Prefix.BlazorClient/$Prefix.BlazorClient.csproj" `
  "$Root/$Prefix.BlazorShared/$Prefix.BlazorShared.csproj"

dotnet add "$Root/$Prefix.Web/$Prefix.Web.csproj" reference `
  "$Root/$Prefix.ServiceDefaults/$Prefix.ServiceDefaults.csproj" `
  "$Root/$Prefix.BlazorShared/$Prefix.BlazorShared.csproj"

dotnet add "$Root/$Prefix.BlazorClient/$Prefix.BlazorClient.csproj" reference `
  "$Root/$Prefix.BlazorShared/$Prefix.BlazorShared.csproj"

dotnet add "$Root/$Prefix.AppHost/$Prefix.AppHost.csproj" reference `
  "$Root/$Prefix.Web/$Prefix.Web.csproj"

dotnet build $Solution

Building the Solution

# Restore dependencies and build all projects
dotnet build

# Build in Release mode
dotnet build -c Release

Running the Application

# Run the main application project
dotnet run --project src/YourProjectName/YourProjectName.csproj

# Run with specific environment
dotnet run --project src/YourProjectName/YourProjectName.csproj --environment Production

Running Tests

# Run all tests
dotnet test

# Run tests with detailed output
dotnet test --verbosity normal

# Run tests with code coverage
dotnet test --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage"

Configuration

Configuration settings are managed through:

• appsettings.json - Default configuration
• appsettings.{Environment}.json - Environment-specific overrides
• Environment variables - Runtime configuration
• User Secrets - Local development secrets (never committed)

Development Guidelines

This repository follows conventions defined in AGENTS.md, including:

• Central Package Management: All package versions managed in Directory.Packages.props
• Code Style: 2-space indentation, file-scoped namespaces, Allman-style braces
• Testing: xUnit framework with Arrange-Act-Assert pattern
• Warnings as Errors: All compiler warnings must be addressed

Run dotnet format to automatically format code according to project conventions.

Contributing

1. Create a feature branch from main
2. Make your changes following the coding conventions
3. Ensure all tests pass (dotnet test)
4. Submit a pull request