Is there a way to manage allowedVersions across all projects in a solution?

[StingyJack]

I want to limit a set of packages to stay below a specific version number for every project in a solution. Is there a way to do that (EDIT: without having to manage this at each individual projects)?

[mishra14]

@jainaashish and @anangaur Have been discussing something related. Guys do you have any docs for @StingyJack ?

[4creators]

It is two step process: (i) abstract versions as global properties in msbuild, (ii) declare versions capped to highest one you want to use. Warning: this will not prevent NuGet from restoring whatever it wants from dependency graph.

(i) use Directory.Build.props in the root of your solution and declared dependencies version in form of properties in that file instead of doing it in every project. Directory.Build.(props|targets) are files automatically included by MSBuild 15 in so called extension points into every project which is built.

(ii) Declare package version in the form capped from top limiting version range as desired. NuGet version ranges docs

Directory.Build.props file content

<PropertyGroup>
    <MicrosoftNETCoreAppPackageVersion>(,2.1.302]</MicrosoftNETCoreAppPackageVersion>
    <MicrosoftNetCoreILAsmPackageVersion>(,2.1.0-rtm-26528-02]</MicrosoftNetCoreILAsmPackageVersion>
    <XunitPackageVersion>(,2.4.0]</XunitPackageVersion>
    <MoqPackageVersion>(,4.9.0]</MoqPackageVersion>
    <NewtonSoftJsonPackageVersion>(,11.0.2]</NewtonSoftJsonPackageVersion>
    <MicrosoftBuildPackageVersion>(,15.7.179]</MicrosoftBuildPackageVersion>
    <LibGit2SharpPackageVersion>(,0.25.2]</LibGit2SharpPackageVersion>
    <SystemDrawingCommonPackageVersion>(,4.5.0]</SystemDrawingCommonPackageVersion>
    <SystemRuntimeCompilerServicesUnsafePackageVersion>(,4.5.1]</SystemRuntimeCompilerServicesUnsafePackageVersion>
</PropertyGroup>

Project.csproj package reference:

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build" Version="$(MicrosoftBuildPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build.Framework" Version="$(MicrosoftBuildPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build.Tasks.Core" Version="$(MicrosoftBuildPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build.Utilities.Core" Version="$(MicrosoftBuildPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="Moq" Version="$(MoqPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="$(NewtonSoftJsonPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="xunit" Version="$(XunitPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="xunit.extensibility.core" Version="$(XunitPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="xunit.extensibility.execution" Version="$(XunitPackageVersion)" />
    <PackageReference Include="xunit.runner.console" Version="$(XunitPackageVersion)" />
  </ItemGroup>

[anangaur]

We are looking at ways to improve the central package version management for NuGet but this is still in incubation phase and not committed yet. You can find more details on the issue: #6764

[StingyJack]

@4creators - thanks but we are not able to move to package reference until at least the first three of these are resolved, as well as the warning you noted. Most of the software I write/maintain is for the heavily regulated pharmaceutical packaging industry. I can't be fooling with (nor would I want to) random restores or tools that decide to change the version numbers of components.

@anangaur that's fine. I'll just have to keep writing more powershell scripts to manage projects and dependencies.

[japj]

have you looked at https://github.com/Microsoft/MSBuildSdks/tree/master/src/CentralPackageVersions for managing nuget package versions centrally?

[StingyJack]

@japj - thanks for the heads up but that requires package reference.