🚀 .NET Command Action

A comprehensive GitHub Action for executing .NET CLI commands with intelligent argument parsing, automatic verbosity handling, and cross-platform support.

✨ Features

🎯 Smart Command Execution - Automatic detection of supported options per .NET command
🔧 Auto-Verbosity Detection - Adjusts verbosity based on debug settings
📋 Flexible Arguments - String and YAML array support for complex scenarios
✅ Comprehensive Validation - Input validation with helpful error messages
⚡ Performance Optimized - Cached command support maps
🛡️ Cross-Platform - Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS runners
📊 Detailed Reporting - Rich summaries with execution metrics

🚀 Basic Usage

Minimal configuration to get started:

- name: "Build project"
  uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
  with:
    command: "build"

- name: "Run tests"
  uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
  with:
    command: "test"

- name: "Restore packages"
  uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
  with:
    command: "restore"

🔧 Advanced Usage

Full configuration with all available options:

- name: "Advanced .NET build and publish"
  uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
  with:
    command: "publish"
    path: "./src/MyApp/MyApp.csproj"
    working-directory: "./backend"
    configuration: "Release"
    framework: "net8.0"
    runtime: "linux-x64"
    arch: "x64"
    output: "./dist"
    verbosity: "detailed"
    nologo: "true"
    no-restore: "false"
    no-build: "false"
    show-summary: "true"
    arguments: |
      --self-contained
      --no-dependencies
      /p:PublishSingleFile=true
      /p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true

🔐 Permissions Required

This action requires standard repository permissions:

permissions:
  contents: read  # Required to checkout repository code

Note: No additional permissions are required as this action only executes .NET CLI commands on the runner.

🏗️ CI/CD Example

Complete workflow for .NET application:

name: "CI/CD Pipeline"

on:
  push:
    branches: ["main", "develop"]
  pull_request:
    branches: ["main"]

permissions:
  contents: read

jobs:
  build-and-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: "📥 Checkout repository"
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: "🔧 Setup .NET"
        uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
        with:
          dotnet-version: "8.0.x"

      - name: "📦 Restore dependencies"
        uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
        with:
          command: "restore"
          verbosity: "minimal"

      - name: "🏗️ Build solution"
        uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
        with:
          command: "build"
          configuration: "Release"
          no-restore: "true"
          show-summary: "true"

      - name: "🧪 Run tests"
        uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
        with:
          command: "test"
          configuration: "Release"
          no-build: "true"
          arguments: "--collect:\"XPlat Code Coverage\" --logger trx"

      - name: "🚀 Publish application"
        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
        uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
        with:
          command: "publish"
          path: "./src/WebApp/WebApp.csproj"
          configuration: "Release"
          runtime: "linux-x64"
          output: "./publish"
          arguments: "--self-contained"

📋 Inputs

Input	Description	Required	Default	Example
`command`	.NET command to execute	✅ Yes	-	`build`, `test`, `restore`, `publish`
`path`	Path to project/solution file or directory	❌ No	`""`	`./src/MyProject.csproj`
`arguments`	Additional command arguments	❌ No	`""`	`--no-dependencies`
`working-directory`	Working directory for command execution	❌ No	`"."`	`./backend`
`verbosity`	Force specific verbosity level	❌ No	`""`	`quiet`, `minimal`, `normal`, `detailed`, `diagnostic`
`nologo`	Suppress Microsoft logo and startup info	❌ No	`"true"`	`true`, `false`
`no-restore`	Skip automatic restore	❌ No	`"false"`	`true`, `false`
`no-build`	Skip building before running	❌ No	`"false"`	`true`, `false`
`configuration`	Build configuration	❌ No	`"Release"`	`Debug`, `Release`
`framework`	Target framework	❌ No	`""`	`net8.0`, `net6.0`
`runtime`	Target runtime identifier	❌ No	`""`	`win-x64`, `linux-x64`, `osx-arm64`
`arch`	Target architecture	❌ No	`""`	`x86`, `x64`, `arm`, `arm64`
`output`	Output directory path	❌ No	`""`	`./bin`, `./publish`
`show-summary`	Display action summary	❌ No	`"false"`	`true`, `false`

📤 Outputs

Output	Description	Type	Example
`exit-code`	Exit code of the executed command	`string`	`0`, `1`
`executed-command`	Full command that was executed	`string`	`dotnet build --configuration Release`

Action	Purpose	Repository
🧪 dotnet-test	Enhanced .NET testing with coverage	`laerdal/github_actions/dotnet-test`
🔧 dotnet-tool-install	Install .NET tools	`laerdal/github_actions/dotnet-tool-install`
📦 dotnet-nuget-upload	Upload NuGet packages	`laerdal/github_actions/dotnet-nuget-upload`
📚 dotnet-docfx-build	Generate documentation	`laerdal/github_actions/dotnet-docfx-build`
🔍 dotnet-cyclonedx	Generate SBOM files	`laerdal/github_actions/dotnet-cyclonedx`

💡 Examples

Building Multiple Configurations

- name: "Build Debug"
  uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
  with:
    command: "build"
    configuration: "Debug"

- name: "Build Release"
  uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
  with:
    command: "build"
    configuration: "Release"

Multi-Framework Testing

strategy:
  matrix:
    framework: ["net6.0", "net8.0"]

steps:
  - name: "Test ${{ matrix.framework }}"
    uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
    with:
      command: "test"
      framework: ${{ matrix.framework }}

Cross-Platform Publishing

strategy:
  matrix:
    runtime: ["win-x64", "linux-x64", "osx-arm64"]

steps:
  - name: "Publish for ${{ matrix.runtime }}"
    uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
    with:
      command: "publish"
      runtime: ${{ matrix.runtime }}
      output: "./dist/${{ matrix.runtime }}"

Complex Arguments with YAML

- name: "Create NuGet package"
  uses: laerdal/github_actions/dotnet@main
  with:
    command: "pack"
    path: "./src/MyLibrary/MyLibrary.csproj"
    configuration: "Release"
    output: "./packages"
    arguments: |
      --include-symbols
      --include-source
      /p:PackageVersion=1.0.0
      /p:Authors="Framinosona"

🔧 Command Support Matrix

Command	Verbosity	Configuration	Framework	Runtime	No-Restore	No-Build	Output
`build`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅
`restore`	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
`test`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
`publish`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`pack`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅
`run`	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
`clean`	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

.NET SDK Not Found

Problem: dotnet command not available

Solution: Add .NET setup before this action:

- name: "Setup .NET"
  uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4
  with:
    dotnet-version: "8.0.x"

Invalid Path Error

Problem: Specified path does not exist

Solution: Verify file/directory exists:

- name: "Check path exists"
  run: ls -la ./src/MyProject.csproj

Build Failures

Problem: Build errors with complex arguments

Solution: Use YAML array format for complex arguments:

arguments: |
  --configuration Release
  --runtime linux-x64
  --self-contained

Debug Tips

Enable Debug Mode: Set ACTIONS_STEP_DEBUG: true
Use Diagnostic Verbosity: Set verbosity: "diagnostic"
Check Executed Command: Use the executed-command output
Enable Summary: Set show-summary: "true"

📝 Requirements

GitHub Actions runner (Windows, Linux, or macOS)
.NET SDK installed (use actions/setup-dotnet)
Valid .NET project or solution structure
Bash shell (available on all runners)

📄 License

This action is part of the GitHub Actions collection by Francois Raminosona.

💡 Tip: For more complex .NET workflows, check out our specialized actions in the Related Actions section.