Get started with a console solution

In this tutorial, you create a console application, run its tests, and create packages for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Prerequisites

1. Install Git.
2. Install the .NET 10 SDK.
3. Install the .NET 8 runtime for the build project.
4. Open a terminal in the directory that will contain your new repository.

Install MiniScaffold

Run this command to install the template from NuGet:

dotnet new install "MiniScaffold::*"

The command installs the mini-scaffold template.

Create the console solution

Replace MyGithubUsername with your GitHub username. Run this command:

dotnet new mini-scaffold -n MyCoolNewApp --githubUsername MyGithubUsername --outputType console

The command creates a directory named MyCoolNewApp. Open that directory:

cd MyCoolNewApp

The generated solution contains these files:

• MyCoolNewApp.slnx, the solution file.
• src/MyCoolNewApp/MyCoolNewApp.fsproj, the application project.
• tests/MyCoolNewApp.Tests/MyCoolNewApp.Tests.fsproj, the test project.
• build/, the directory with the FAKE build scripts.
• build.cmd and build.sh, the build commands.

Build, test, and create packages

On macOS or Linux, run this command:

./build.sh

On Windows, run this command:

.\build.cmd

The default target, CreatePackages, restores dependencies, builds the solution, runs the tests, and creates packages. The build output reports the result of each target.

After the build succeeds, check dist/ for six ZIP packages. The packages support Windows, macOS, and Linux on x64 and ARM64. The console output reference describes the generated files and package formats.