Configuring Nuget pack for prerelease on VSTS

1
votes

Note If there is an easier way to create prerelease packages please let me know!

I am using Visual Studio Team Services and have setup a nuget pack and publish step.

I have a build variable called $(BuildSuffix) that allows me to tag build-specific variables onto the end of the build number format like so

$(Build.DefinitionName)_1.0.$(date:yyyy)$(date:MM)$(date:dd)$(rev:.r)$(BuildSuffix)

The idea then is that I can set $(BuildSuffix) to -beta so that my final build version might be Build_1.0.20170119.2-beta.

According to the nuget documentation here, appending -beta to a build number will create a prerelease package. The build in VSTS comes out with -beta appended but the nuget pack stage never seems to contain it. It always comes out as the exact version number but without the -beta tag.

My nuspec files look like this:

<package >
  <metadata>
    <id>MyCompany.Data</id>
    <version>$version$</version>

My NuGet package step looks like this:

enter image description here

2
nugetazure-devopsazure-pipelinesazure-pipelines-release-pipelineazure-artifacts

2 Answers

4
votes

After some research and bashing my head against a brick wall I figured out how. You have to:

  • Configure a local Build Agent
  • Install Nuget CLI
  • On Nuget Packager Task set Path To NuGet.exe to the NuGet CLI
  • Set NuGet Arguments on the same screen to -suffix beta
0
votes

With new NuGet task(version 2) you can specify Additional build properties and there you can pass your custom build number directly instead of using -suffix NuGet argument. Additional build properties are substituting $token$ with supplied value in nuspec and you are free to change whatever you want in there.

I also see it on your screenshot, but I never tried to use it like this with older NuGet tasks as those are deprecated now.

NuGet Packaging Task Group

Maybe it will be helpful to try import NuGet Packaging Task Group definition I am using on my private projects. Check it out Here.