Version number not available for packages added using GlobalPackageReference in Directory.Packages.props

[AndrewPearson]

If a solution uses Directory.Packages.props and has a GlobalPackageReference declaration, then the version number of the package is missing when analyzed.

The package appears in each project's PackageReferences, but the version is blank.

[phmonte]

@AndrewPearson, I tried to reproduce the problem and it worked, do you have an example of the project?

[AndrewPearson]

Hi @phmonte,
Thanks for looking into this (great project btw).

I found this issue while using a dotnet tool called snitch, which makes use of buildalyzer. I did also report the issue on that project (spectresystems/snitch#39)

To replicate the problem:

• create a new dotnet solution with a template 'hello world' console project. I'm using .Net 8.
• add a Directory.Packages.props file containing the following:

<Project>
  <PropertyGroup>
    <ManagePackageVersionsCentrally>true</ManagePackageVersionsCentrally>
    <EnablePackageVersionOverride>false</EnablePackageVersionOverride>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <GlobalPackageReference Include="StyleCop.Analyzers" Version="1.2.0-beta.556" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

With this solution, try the following code which uses Buildalyzer:

            var mgr = new AnalyzerManager();
            var projAnalyzer = mgr.GetProject(@"{YourPath}\{YourConsoleProject}.csproj");
            var results = projAnalyzer.Build();

            var packages =results.Single().PackageReferences;
            var styleCop = packages["StyleCop.Analyzers"];
            var version = styleCop["Version"];

            Console.WriteLine($"stylecop version = '{version}'", version);

When I run this locally, the version is blank.

I hope this explanation is clear enough to explain the problem I see. Please do ask any questions you might have, and thanks again for taking a look.

[phmonte]

Thank you very much, I believe it is now possible to simulate, I will update soon.

[Corniel]

I added a reproducer. I'm not sure why you use <GlobalPackageReference> in this case (or at all, I could not find any documentation on it, if you can provide that, that would be appreciated), but the version is not provided by the BuildStatusEventArgs, I'm not sure why,

If you use <PackageReference> instead, the version is available.

[AndrewPearson]

A description of the use of <GlobalPackageReference> is available here

[Corniel]

@AndrewPearson See my reporducer. I'm affraid that this is bug/feature that is not due to a bug in Buildalyzer. If I may ask, why do you want to know this version?

May be, a (to be created) rule of .NET project file analyers I might solve what you want to achieve?

[AndrewPearson]

I use a tool called snitch, which makes use of buildalyzer. Snitch fails to run on a project I have, producing errors. I debugged into snitch's code, and found this issue with the version number being blank.