A Beginner’s Guide to .NET SDK CLI Tools for Efficient Software Development

In this tutorial, we’ll take you on a step-by-step journey through the fundamental aspects of .NET SDK CLI tools. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to leverage .NET SDK tools to jumpstart your adventure in .NET development. If you are newcomer eager to explore the world of software development, this tutorial is your gateway to unlocking the potential of .NET SDK CLI tools. So, let’s dive in and embark on this exciting journey together.

If you like the tutorial in a hands on Video format check the YouTube video below

Full tutorial on how to use dotnet sdk cli tools (.NET SDK CLI) to create multi platform apps is here

Installation

Before diving into development, you’ll need to install the .NET SDK on your machine. You can download and install it from the official .NET website. Once installed, you’ll have access to a plethora of CLI tools that simplify various aspects of the development lifecycle.

Creating a New Project

To create a new .NET project using the CLI tools, open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory where you want to create the project. Then, use the dotnet new command followed by the desired project template. For example, to create a new console application, you can use:

dotnet new console -n MyConsoleApp

This command creates a new console application named “MyConsoleApp” in the current directory.

Building and Running the Project using dotnet

Once you’ve created your project, you can use the dotnet build command to build your project

dotnet build
This command compiles the source code and generates the necessary binaries. To run the project, use the dotnet run command shown below

dotnet run

This command executes the compiled application, allowing you to see the output in your terminal.

Adding External Dependencies to your Project

Most .NET projects rely on external dependencies, such as third-party libraries or frameworks. You can easily add dependencies to your project using the dotnet add command.

For example to add sqlite library to your project.

dotnet add package Microsoft.Data.Sqlite

Testing your Code

Testing is an integral part of the development process, and .NET SDK CLI tools make it easy to write and run tests for your projects. You can use the dotnet test command to execute your unit tests

dotnet test

This command runs all the unit tests in your project and displays the results in your terminal.

Publishing your code to exe

Once your project is ready for deployment, you can use the dotnet publish command to publish it:

dotnet publish -c Release -o <output-directory>
This command packages your application and its dependencies into a deployable format and outputs it to the specified directory.

Conclusion

In this short tutorial, we’ve covered the basics of .NET SDK CLI tools and how you can use them to streamline your development workflow. For deep dive into .NET development using command line tools check our youtube video