ModernBuild Tool

Overview

ModernBuild is an interactive Terminal UI (TUI) application that provides a modern, user-friendly interface for building, packing, and publishing the Krypton Toolkit. It offers real-time build output, comprehensive configuration options, and simplified NuGet operations.

Location: Scripts/ModernBuild/

Technology: .NET with Terminal.Gui

Target Frameworks: net472, net8.0-windows, net9.0-windows, net10.0-windows

Features

Interactive keyboard-driven UI
Real-time build output streaming
Auto-detection of MSBuild and NuGet
Support for all build configurations (Stable, Canary, Nightly, Debug)
Integrated NuGet package publishing
Build log management
Clean operations
Create ZIP archives
Test/preview NuGet push commands

Installation and Running

Running with dotnet run (Recommended)

cd Scripts/ModernBuild
dotnet run --project ModernBuild.csproj

Advantages:

No build step required
Always uses latest code
Works across all platforms

Building and Running Executable

cd Scripts/ModernBuild
dotnet build ModernBuild.csproj -c Release

# Run built executable
bin\Release\net10.0-windows\ModernBuild.exe

Running from Repository Root

dotnet run --project Scripts/ModernBuild/ModernBuild.csproj

Important: Always run from repository root for correct path detection.

User Interface

UI Layout

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Tasks                  │ Live Output                            │
│ ┌───────────────────┐  │ ┌───────────────────────────────────┐  │
│ │ F1: Channel       │  │ │ MSBuild output appears here...    │  │
│ │ F2: Action        │  │ │ Real-time streaming...            │  │
│ │ F3: Config        │  │ │                                   │  │
│ │ F4: Switch Page   │  │ │ Press Enter on a line to copy it  │  │
│ │ F5: Run/Stop      │  │ └───────────────────────────────────┘  │
│ │ ESC/F10: Exit     │  │                                        │
│ └───────────────────┘  │                                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Build Settings                                                  │
│ Project: Scripts/nightly.proj                                   │
│ MSBuild: C:\Program Files\...\MSBuild.exe                       │
│ Log: Logs/nightly-build.binlog                                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Summary (paged)                                                 │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│ │ Build completed successfully                              │   │
│ │ Time: 00:05:23                                            │   │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

UI Components

Component	Description
Tasks	Hotkeys and current selections
Live Output	Streaming MSBuild/NuGet output
Build Settings	Current project, MSBuild path, log location
Summary	Recent log tail for quick diagnostics
Status Bar	Run status, elapsed time, error/warning counts

Global Controls

Key	Action
F4	Switch between Ops and NuGet pages
F5	Start/Stop current action
ESC or F10	Exit application
Auto-Scroll	Toggle following live output

Ops Page (Build Operations)

Purpose

Build, rebuild, pack, and clean operations

Controls

Key	Control	Options
F1	Channel	Nightly → Canary → Stable
F2	Action	Build → Rebuild → Pack → BuildPack → Debug
F3	Config	Release ↔ Debug
F5	Run	Execute selected action
F6	Tail	Buffer size: 200 → 500 → 1000 lines
F7	Clean	Delete Bin/, obj/, Logs/
F8	Clear	Clear live output
F9	PackMode	Pack → PackLite → PackAll (Stable only)

Channel Selection (F1)

Nightly:

Project: Scripts/nightly.proj
Config: Defaults to Debug
Packages: .Nightly with -alpha suffix

Canary:

Project: Scripts/canary.proj
Config: Canary or Release
Packages: .Canary with -beta suffix

Stable:

Project: Scripts/build.proj
Config: Release
Packages: Standard and .Lite variants

Action Selection (F2)

Build:

Runs MSBuild /t:Rebuild
Compiles all projects
Generates binaries

Rebuild:

Same as Build
Ensures clean compilation

Pack:

Runs MSBuild /t:Pack
Creates NuGet packages
Requires prior build

BuildPack:

Runs MSBuild /t:Rebuild;Pack
Builds then packs in one step

Debug:

Runs MSBuild /t:Clean;Rebuild
Switches to Nightly channel
Uses Debug configuration

Configuration Selection (F3)

Release:

Optimized builds
No debug symbols (except for Canary/Nightly)
Recommended for production

Debug:

Debug symbols included
No optimizations
Used for development

Note: Nightly channel may auto-switch to Debug

Pack Mode (F9) - Stable Only

Available when Channel is Stable and Action is Pack or BuildPack:

Pack:

Runs both PackLite and PackAll
Generates standard and lite packages

PackLite:

Runs MSBuild /t:PackLite /p:TFMs=lite
Generates lite packages only

PackAll:

Runs MSBuild /t:PackAll /p:TFMs=all
Generates standard packages only

Clean Operation (F7)

Deletes:

Bin/ directory
obj/ directories in all Krypton projects
Logs/ directory

Warning: This is destructive and cannot be undone!

Clear Output (F8)

Clears live output display
Resets horizontal scroll
Does not delete log files

NuGet Page (Package Publishing)

Purpose

Package creation, validation, and publishing to NuGet.org or GitHub Packages

Controls

Key	Control	Options
F1	Channel	Nightly → Canary → Stable
F2	Action	Rebuild+Pack → Push → Pack+Push → Rebuild+Pack+Push → Update NuGet
F3	Config	Release ↔ Debug (keep Release for publishing)
F5	Run	Execute selected action(s)
F6	Symbols	Toggle `.snupkg` inclusion
F7	SkipDup	Toggle `--skip-duplicate` flag
F8	Source	Default → NuGet.org → GitHub → Custom
Create ZIP	Create `Bin/<yyyyMMdd>_NuGet_Packages.zip`
TEST	Preview push commands without executing

Action Selection (F2)

Rebuild+Pack:

Rebuilds projects
Packs NuGet packages
Does not publish

Push:

Publishes existing packages only
Requires packages in Bin/Packages/<Configuration>/

Pack+Push:

Packs packages
Publishes to selected source

Rebuild+Pack+Push:

Complete workflow
Rebuilds, packs, and publishes

Update NuGet:

Runs nuget.exe update -Self -NonInteractive
Updates NuGet CLI tool

Symbol Packages (F6)

Enabled:

Includes .snupkg files in push operations
Required for debugging support

Disabled:

Only pushes .nupkg files

Skip Duplicate (F7)

Enabled:

Adds --skip-duplicate flag
Silently skips packages that already exist on server

Disabled:

Fails if package already exists

Source Selection (F8)

Default:

Uses default NuGet configuration
Typically NuGet.org

NuGet.org:

Explicit NuGet.org publishing
Requires API key configuration

GitHub:

GitHub Packages
Requires github source configured

Custom:

Custom NuGet source
Not configurable via UI (requires manual setup)

NuGet.org Configuration

Set API Key

nuget.exe setapikey <YOUR_API_KEY> -Source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json

Verify Configuration

nuget.exe sources list

GitHub Packages Configuration

Add Source

nuget.exe sources add -Name github ^
  -Source https://nuget.pkg.github.com/Krypton-Suite/index.json ^
  -Username YOUR_USERNAME ^
  -Password YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN

Generate Token

Go to GitHub Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens
Generate token with write:packages scope
Use token as password

Create ZIP

Creates archive of all NuGet packages:

Filename: Bin/<yyyyMMdd>_NuGet_Packages.zip
Includes all .nupkg and optionally .snupkg files
Useful for offline distribution

TEST Mode

Previews nuget.exe push commands without executing:

nuget.exe push Bin\Packages\Release\Krypton.Toolkit.100.25.1.305.nupkg -Source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json
nuget.exe push Bin\Packages\Release\Krypton.Ribbon.100.25.1.305.nupkg -Source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json
...

Use Cases:

Verify package names
Check version numbers
Validate configuration before actual push

Build Logs

Log Locations

Channel	Text Log	Binary Log
Nightly	`Logs/nightly-build-summary.log`	`Logs/nightly-build.binlog`
Canary	`Logs/canary-build-summary.log`	`Logs/canary-build.binlog`
Stable	`Logs/stable-build-summary.log`	`Logs/stable-build.binlog`

Log Types

Text Log (.log):

Human-readable
Build summary
Error and warning messages

Binary Log (.binlog):

Complete MSBuild log
Viewable with MSBuild Structured Log Viewer
Best for detailed analysis

Viewing Binary Logs

# Install viewer
dotnet tool install --global MSBuildStructuredLogViewer

# Open log
msbuildlogviewer Logs/nightly-build.binlog

Status Information

Status Bar

Displays:

Status: RUNNING / DONE / FAILED
Elapsed Time: 00:05:23
Errors: Errors: 0
Warnings: Warnings: 3

Key	Action
PageUp	Previous page
PageDown	Next page
Home	First page
End	Last page

Prerequisites

Required

Visual Studio 2022
- ModernBuild auto-detects MSBuild via vswhere.exe
NuGet CLI
- Download: https://dist.nuget.org/win-x86-commandline/latest/nuget.exe
- Place in PATH or Scripts/ directory

Optional

.NET 10 SDK: For building ModernBuild itself

Project File Detection

ModernBuild looks for project files in these locations:

Nightly:

Scripts/nightly.proj
Scripts/Project-Files/nightly.proj

Canary:

Scripts/canary.proj
Scripts/Project-Files/canary.proj

Stable:

Scripts/build.proj
Scripts/Project-Files/build.proj

Installer (not exposed in UI):

Scripts/installer.proj
Scripts/Project-Files/installer.proj

Troubleshooting

"Could not find MSBuild.exe"

Cause: Visual Studio 2022 not installed or not detected

Solutions:

Install Visual Studio 2022
Verify installation:

dir "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\"

ModernBuild checks these locations:
- Preview
- Enterprise
- Professional
- Community
- BuildTools

"nuget.exe not found"

Cause: NuGet CLI not in PATH

Solutions:

Download NuGet CLI:

curl -o Scripts\nuget.exe https://dist.nuget.org/win-x86-commandline/latest/nuget.exe

Add to PATH

"Project file not found: ..."

Cause: .proj files missing or wrong location

Solution: Verify files exist:

dir Scripts\*.proj

Build Succeeds with No Observable Work

Cause: Configuration/TFM mismatch

Solution:

Check ModernBuild output for skipped targets
Verify TFMs property in build settings
Clean and rebuild

No Packages Found to Push

Cause: Packages not created or wrong location

Solutions:

Run Rebuild+Pack before Push
Verify packages exist:

dir Bin\Packages\Release\*.nupkg

Custom NuGet Source Fails

Cause: Custom source not implemented in UI

Workaround: Use command line for custom sources

Advanced Features

Process Management

ModernBuild kills the entire MSBuild process tree when you stop a running action:

Terminates MSBuild.exe
Terminates child processes
Prevents zombie processes

Real-time Output

Streams MSBuild output line-by-line
Auto-scrolls when enabled
Supports copy-to-clipboard (press Enter on line)

Build Statistics

Tracks:

Elapsed time
Error count
Warning count
Build status

Best Practices

1. Run from Repository Root

cd Z:\Development\Krypton\Standard-Toolkit
dotnet run --project Scripts/ModernBuild/ModernBuild.csproj

2. Clean Before Major Builds

Use F7 (Clean) before switching configurations or channels.

3. Test Before Publishing

Use TEST button on NuGet page to preview push commands.

4. Monitor Logs

Check binary logs for detailed troubleshooting:

msbuildlogviewer Logs/nightly-build.binlog

5. Use Skip Duplicate for Safety

Enable SkipDup (F7) when testing publishing to avoid errors.

6. Verify Packages Locally

Before publishing:

Check Bin/Packages/<Configuration>/
Verify version numbers
Inspect with NuGet Package Explorer

Comparison with Command-Line Scripts

Feature	ModernBuild	Build Scripts
UI	Interactive TUI	Command-line
Real-time Output	Yes	Yes (console)
Build Logs	Binary + text	Text only
NuGet Publishing	Integrated	Separate scripts
Configuration Switching	F-key toggle	Command parameter
Package Preview	TEST mode	Manual inspection
Clean Operations	F7 key	purge.cmd
Learning Curve	Low	Medium

Build Scripts - Command-line alternatives
NuGet Packaging - Package details
MSBuild Project Files - Build targets
Troubleshooting - Common issues

ModernBuild Tool

Overview

Features

Installation and Running

Running with dotnet run (Recommended)

Building and Running Executable

Running from Repository Root

User Interface

UI Layout

UI Components

Global Controls

Ops Page (Build Operations)

Purpose

Controls

Channel Selection (F1)

Action Selection (F2)

Configuration Selection (F3)

Pack Mode (F9) - Stable Only

Clean Operation (F7)

Clear Output (F8)

NuGet Page (Package Publishing)

Purpose

Controls

Action Selection (F2)

Symbol Packages (F6)

Skip Duplicate (F7)

Source Selection (F8)

NuGet.org Configuration

Set API Key

Verify Configuration

GitHub Packages Configuration

Add Source

Generate Token

Create ZIP

TEST Mode

Build Logs

Log Locations

Log Types

Viewing Binary Logs

Status Information

Status Bar

Summary Panel Navigation

Prerequisites

Required

Optional

Project File Detection

Troubleshooting

"Could not find MSBuild.exe"

"nuget.exe not found"

"Project file not found: ..."

Build Succeeds with No Observable Work

No Packages Found to Push

Custom NuGet Source Fails

Advanced Features

Process Management

Real-time Output

Build Statistics

Best Practices

1. Run from Repository Root

2. Clean Before Major Builds

3. Test Before Publishing

4. Monitor Logs

5. Use Skip Duplicate for Safety

6. Verify Packages Locally

Comparison with Command-Line Scripts

Related Documentation