CsProjArrange

Arrange .csproj files. This project was created to use as a clean filter for .csproj files when committing using git.

Setting up in Git

The .gitattributes file should be updated to the following setting for .csproj files.

*.csproj text filter=csprojarrange

The .git/config file should be update to include the following section.

[filter "csprojarrange"]
  clean = CsProjArrange

If you need to specify additional options, it looks like this.

[filter "csprojarrange"]
  clean = "CsProjArrange --options=None"

This should cause .csproj files to always be committed to the repository with the file arranged.

Running from the command line

Here is the help listing you can see by running CsProjArrange -?.

Usage: CsProjArrange.exe [-?|--help] [-iINPUT|--input=INPUT] [-oOUTPUT|--output=OUTPUT] [-sSTICKY|--sticky=STICKY] [-aSORTATTRIBUTES|--attributes=SORTATTRIBUTES]

Option:
  -?, --help                 Display this usage message.
  -i, --input=VALUE          Set the input file name. Standard input is the
                               default.
  -o, --output=VALUE         Set the output file name. Standard output is the
                               default.
  -s, --sticky=VALUE         Comma separated list of element names which
                               should be stuck to the top.
  -k, --keeporder=VALUE      Comma separated list of element names where
                               children should not be sorted.
  -a, --attributes=VALUE     Comma separated list of attributes to sort on.
  -p, --options=VALUE        Specify options

When no command line options are specified, the following defaults take effect.

• The input comes from standard input.
• The output goes to standard output.
• The list of sticky element names is the [Default] value, which expands to:
  • Task
  • PropertyGroup
  • ItemGroup
  • Target
  • Configuration
  • Platform
  • ProjectReference
  • Reference
  • Compile
  • Folder
  • Content
  • None
  • When
  • Otherwise
• The list of elements where children should not be sorted is the [Default] value, which expands to just Target.
• The list of attributes is the [Default] value, which expands to just Include.
• All of the following options are selected:
  • CombineRootElements
    • This will combine root elements which have the same name and the same attribute values.
  • KeepCommentWithNext
    • This keeps any comments with the next node.
  • SortRootElements
    • This will sort the nodes under the root element.
  • SplitItemGroups
    • This will split ItemGroup elements so that each group will only contain one type of child element.

The following helper options are also available:

• None
  • No options selected.
• All
  • All options selected (this is the default).
• NoRoot
  • Everything except CombineRootElements and SortRootElements is selected.
• NoSortRootElements
  • Everything except SortRootElements is selected.

Option Sections

These are comments which change the options for the specified section of the projetct file. They take the following form:

• Opening section: <!-- Options: {options} -->
• Closing section: <!-- /Options -->

where the {options} are replaced with the actual options for that section (NoSortRootElements for example). Options sections will be moved to the bottom of the file in the order they originally appeared; so to get a section to stick to the top, the entire file must use option sections.