NetStandard Library not getting dependencies on VSTS Build Agent

Question

I currently have a Xamarin.Android project that references a .NET Standard 1.1 library that references AutoMapper 5.0.2.

When I try to build this through VSTS I get this error

C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Xamarin\Android\Xamarin.Android.Common.targets(1316,2): Error : Exception while loading assemblies: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load assembly 'System.Collections.Specialized, Version=4.0.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a'. Perhaps it doesn't exist in the Mono for Android profile?

This solution builds perfectly fine on my local machine and runs in the Android Emulator.

Things I have tried (and none have worked)

Installing the AutoMapper Nuget package directly against the Android Project.
Installing System.Collections.Specialized in the Android project.
Doing <CopyNuGetImplementations>true</CopyNuGetImplementations> in the Android Project.

Also just as a side note, I have .NET Standard 1.1 Libraries all the way through my project, yet I can see from the build log that its using .NET Standard 1.3. Not sure if this will make a difference as I am not sure how the build process manages these standards.

Copying file from "C:\Users\buildguest.nuget\packages\AutoMapper\5.0.2\lib\netstandard1.3\AutoMapper.dll" to "C:\a\1\b/Release\AutoMapper.dll".

Update 1

Just to add that I have tried using Nuget 3.4.4 and Nuget 3.5.0-beta2 in the build agent and while this solved other issues I was having, it didn't resolve the current one I am experiencing.

Update 2

Here is my Android project.json

{
  "dependencies": {
    "Newtonsoft.Json": "9.0.1"
  },
  "frameworks": {
    "MonoAndroid,Version=v6.0": {}
  },
  "runtimes": {
    "win": {}
  }
}

Here is my Portable project.json

{
  "supports": {},
  "dependencies": {
    "AutoMapper": "5.0.2",
    "NETStandard.Library": "1.6.0",
    "Xamarin.Forms": "2.3.0.107"
  },
  "frameworks": {
    "netstandard1.1": {
      "imports": "portable-win+net45+wp8+win81+wpa8"
    }
  }
}

Update 3: 18th July Just adding more test cases

Did a brand new Xamarin Android project, with packages.config, existing nuget.exe. All works.
Add AutoMapper reference, builds and runs locally. Fails in VSTS Build Agent
Updated Nuget.exe - still fails on build
Update to project.json - still fails on build.

I can not get even a blank project with an AutoMapper 5.0.2 reference working in the Visual Studio Build step of VSTS. Always the same error as above.

Are you using "Xamarin.Android" build definition template? Can you try with "Visual Studio" build definition template to see if the build can be completed successfully? — Eddie Chen - MSFT
@Eddie-MSFT - I just tried with a Visual Studio Build step and received the exact same error as above. — Adam
I get the same error with "Xamarin.Android" build definition template but the build works with "Visual Studio" template. — Eddie Chen - MSFT
@Eddie-MSFT - I continue to get the error on either Xamarin.Android or Visual Studio. I have edit the question above to show my project.json files for the droid and portable project to see if there is something I am missing or different. — Adam
Also just noting that I also just tried referencing AutoMapper directly on the droid proj with a Visual Studio build step and still the same error. — Adam

Claire Novotny Claire Novotny · Accepted Answer · 2016-07-14T11:58:24

I believe you'll need to add a build step to download the latest NuGet.exe on build and then either call nuget restore via a build script or configure the alternate path of the VSTS NuGet Restore task to use the one you downloaded.

The issue is that the NuGet.exe bundled with VSTS is too old.

You can find the direct download paths here: https://dist.nuget.org/index.html

NetStandard Library not getting dependencies on VSTS Build Agent

2 Answers