Monogame: Thoughts on a MG Content Builder NuGet

[SimonDarksideJ]

With the upcoming release of the updated NuGet's, I'm guessing people will want an easier access to the new MGCB tool.

before I commit to putting it together, what are everyone's thoughts about shipping the MGCB tool as a NuGet?

That way it can be updated outside of the main MSI installer.

[theZMan]

Why would you ever need it without the full install? Seems to be over complicating things to me. People should just choose between the release build and the dev builds.

[tomspilman]

what are everyone's thoughts about shipping the MGCB tool as a NuGet?

I have no idea how that would work.

The MGCB tool consists of a couple dozen EXEs and DLLs along with some .targets and template files. It has to exist in a very specific folder structure and the changes to make it work in your game project are very specific.

I don't see how NuGet solves any of that or is any better than simply running the installer.

[SimonDarksideJ]

It's easier than an installer because the version of the builder is then tied to your project. Granted their are plus and minus points to that approach.
The content of the package is the same as if you are using an installer and the NuGet can update the project's references / targets and so on.

[SimonDarksideJ]

Well, that's the point of the discussion @theZMan , should we bother.
I think it's fair to say that using the MSI installer with the full solution would be an easier approach, so let's stick with that.

Will just need to make that clear in any documentation / tutorials.

[ForNeVeR]

Hey, guys! Maybe it's time to rethink this?

I think it would be a great advantage to be able to install MGCB through NuGet. Then it'd be accessible to all the great not MSBuild tools such as FAKE etc.

I'd like to install only Mono on my build server and get everything else from NuGet, but currently I have to install the whole MonoGame package, and that's inconvenient.

[tomspilman]

I have no problem supporting this, but I don't know how to do it properly.

@DDReaper ?

[SimonDarksideJ]

I did propose this a while back and had a few ideas on how to make it practical. Let me do some testing and hopefully get back soon.
Should be similar to what was done to package the MGCB tool separately for Mac

[harry-cpp]

• Step 1: #5548
• Step 2: #5528
• Step 3: Package MGCB inside NuGet
• Step 4: Profit?

[SimonDarksideJ]

Those changes certainly look interesting. As it's a single UI, it'll be mostly about packaging the right dll's with each platform in a single NuGet

[harry-cpp]

Well I decided to upload an unofficial package: https://www.nuget.org/packages/MonoGame.Content.Builder/

In case someone wants to try it with their project, remember to remove the .targets line for the system content builder from your .csproj project file, otherwise there will either be conflicts or you will build your content 2 times. Either case it's bad.

Also the NuGet package size is 100 MB, quite large...

[SimonDarksideJ]

Will give it a go @cra0zy *edit, ok, being offline is allowed :P

Do you have a repo link for where the source to the NuGet is to see if we can "trim" it down a little 🗡

[harry-cpp]

Will give it a go @cra0zy (even though you ignored my gitter conversation, lol)

I am sorry, I was offline :(

Do you have a repo link for where the source to the NuGet is to see if we can "trim" it down a little

Just build results from #5528 and a custom nuspec file.

[SimonDarksideJ]

Shhh, I edited my comment @cra0zy no hard feelings 🗡
I guess were all allowed to be "offline" every now and again :D

[harry-cpp]

I'm maintaining my own copy of MGCB nuget at: https://github.com/cra0zy/MonoGame/tree/corebuilder

The nuget is split into 4 packages, this not only makes the download smaller, but also makes it so there are no modifications needed on the content pipeline/mgcb. You only need to reference the main one:

• https://www.nuget.org/packages/MonoGame.Content.Builder/

Per platform ones (do not reference them):

• https://www.nuget.org/packages/MonoGame.Content.Builder.Windows/
• https://www.nuget.org/packages/MonoGame.Content.Builder.Linux/
• https://www.nuget.org/packages/MonoGame.Content.Builder.Mac/

[harry-cpp]

MG Content Builder is in the develop branch so closing.