Step By Step How to create a custom NuGet Package

       By Carmel Shvartzman

In this tutorial we'll learn How to create a NuGet Package , containing a template with the Controllers, Views, Images, CSS & Scripts that you need in your Asp.Net MVC applications. We'll save our package in intranet or local file system, and use it every time we create a new project.
For this tutorial, we'll  create an MVC application as Template to future projects, and save it as a NuGet Package.
Then, we'll create an empty MVC application, and we will use that NuGet package as a bootstrap for the new project , showing as follows:

First thing, browse to the Visual Studio Gallery at MSDN & update your NuGet Package Manager:

Next, you'll need a free tool called NuGet Package Explorer , at CodePlex :

Now, build the MVC application template that you want to save. For example, create an empty MVC app & add a View just as:

And also a Controller:

1) EVERY code file MUST be appended " .pp  "

2) in the code, the namespace name MUST be replaced with a generic " $rootnamespace$ " 

Now open the NuGet Explorer that you downloaded , & create a New package:

Edit the package taking care of setting Title, Author, Description, Language, Tags & Summary :

Edit whatever Dependencies the package should have :

Then add a Content folder:

Paste inside it all files & folders from your application, that you want to be part of your template :

Check whether you got all you need for your package:

Then add the DLLs from your template to the package:

First set the Framework version you want:

Copy-paste the DLLs :

Save the Package :

And Analyze it for errors:

Now go to the NEW project where you want to IMPORT the NuGet Package. Open the NuGet Manager at Settings & tell it WHERE to look up for your local Packages:

Finally, open the NuGet Manager:

Find your Package at the FOLDER WHERE you put it:

Take a look where go the Title, Summary etc.
Install your custom NuGet Package :

Check whether you got the whole template:

That's all!! 

In this tutorial we've learn how to create a NuGet Package hosted in the local file system, containing a template with the Controllers, Views, Images, CSS & Scripts that you need in your Asp.Net MVC applications. 

Happy programming.....

כתב: כרמל שוורצמן