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Connected Mode configuration for C# and Visual Basic projects

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duncanp-sonar edited this page Jun 4, 2020 · 6 revisions

What configuration does SLVS add to my C#/VB.NET projects when binding to a SonarQube/SonarCloud server?

When binding to SonarQube/SonarCloud, SLVS generates configuration files that are needed for Sonar C# and Sonar VB.NET analyzers. The following configuration files are generated for each language:

  • a .ruleset file that contains the rules configuration corresponding to the Quality Profile (See the Microsoft documentation for Rule sets)
  • a SonarLint.xml file which contains the rules parameters for Sonar C# and Sonar VB.NET analyzers.

The configuration files are located under the .sonarlint folder in your solution directory.

Each non-test project under your solution needs to reference all of these files in order to be considered as “correctly bound”. If one of the configuration files is not referenced, the project is considered as unbound and SLVS will prompt you to bind it.

How does SLVS recognize that the configuration files are referenced?

The generated ruleset is specified in the CodeAnalysisRuleSet property e.g.

<PropertyGroup>
  <CodeAnalysisRuleSet>path-to-generated-ruleset.ruleset</CodeAnalysisRuleSet>
</PropertyGroup>

The SonarLint.xml file is referenced as an AdditionalFiles item e.g.

<ItemGroup>
  <AdditionalFiles Include="..\.sonarlint\{language}\SonarLint.xml" />
</ItemGroup>

What happens when SLVS binds my C# / VB.NET projects?

If SLVS recognizes that the project does not reference the generated .ruleset file, SLVS will reference it using the following logic:

If the project has no CodeAnalysisRuleSet properties, SLVS will create one and point to the generated .ruleset file. So your project will look like this:

<PropertyGroup>
  <CodeAnalysisRuleSet>path-to-generated-ruleset.ruleset</CodeAnalysisRuleSet>
</PropertyGroup>

If the project has a CodeAnalysisRuleSet property that points to a .ruleset file that is located under the project’s directory, SLVS will amend that ruleset to reference the generated .ruleset file. So your project’s ruleset file will look like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RuleSet Name="My ruleset" Description="test" ToolsVersion="16.0">
  <Include Path="path-to-generated-ruleset.ruleset" Action="Default" />
  ...

If the project has a CodeAnalysisRuleSet property that points to a .ruleset file that is not located under the project’s directory, SLVS will create a new .ruleset file and place it under your project’s directory. The new ruleset file references your previous ruleset and Sonar’s generated .ruleset file. So the new ruleset file will look like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RuleSet Name="SonarQube - Sonar way" ToolsVersion="14.0">
  <Include Path="path-to-generated-ruleset.ruleset" Action="Default" />
  <Include Path="path-to-your-other-ruleset.ruleset" Action="Default" />
</RuleSet>

Can I customize how my projects are configured?

Yes. The initial binding described above will correctly configure your projects, but you are free to modify this using the standard capabilities of MSBuild e.g. using a Directory.Build.props file, or putting the references in a common targets file that is included in the appropriate projects.

See our documentation on how to configure a reference to project rulesets, and Microsoft’s documentation for customizing your build.

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