VS2026 Solution Template

A professional Visual Studio 2026 solution template using the new .slnx format with best practices, documentation, and tooling setup.

Features

✅ Modern Solution Format: Uses the new XML-based .slnx format for Visual Studio 2026
✅ Best Practices: Comprehensive .best-practices guide for the team
✅ Documentation: ADR templates, contributing guidelines, and README files
✅ GitHub Copilot: Pre-configured instructions for AI assistance
✅ CI/CD Ready: GitHub Actions workflow for automated builds and tests
✅ NuGet Configuration: Pre-configured package sources and settings
✅ Organized Structure: Separate directories for source, tests, and docs

Quick Start

New to this template? Check out the Quick Start Guide for a step-by-step walkthrough!

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2026 or later
• .NET SDK 8.0 or later
• Git

Using This Template

1. Create a new repository from this template (on GitHub, click "Use this template")

2. Clone your new repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-solution-name.git
   cd your-solution-name

3. Run the initialization script (coming soon)

   ./init-solution.sh --name "YourCompany.YourProduct"

4. Open in Visual Studio 2026

   # Open the .slnx file
   start Solution.slnx

Manual Setup

If you prefer manual setup:

1. Rename the solution file from Solution.slnx to YourProduct.slnx

2. Create your first project

   # Create a class library
   dotnet new classlib -n YourCompany.YourProduct.Core -o src/YourCompany.YourProduct.Core
   
   # Create a test project
   dotnet new xunit -n YourCompany.YourProduct.Core.Tests -o tests/YourCompany.YourProduct.Core.Tests
   
   # Add reference
   dotnet add tests/YourCompany.YourProduct.Core.Tests reference src/YourCompany.YourProduct.Core

3. Add projects to solution (in Visual Studio or manually edit Solution.slnx)

Directory Structure

.
├── .github/
│   ├── copilot-instructions.md    # GitHub Copilot configuration
│   └── workflows/
│       └── ci.yml                 # CI/CD pipeline
├── .nuget/
│   └── NuGet.Config              # NuGet package sources
├── docs/
│   ├── adr/                      # Architecture Decision Records
│   │   ├── README.md
│   │   ├── 0000-adr-template.md
│   │   └── 0001-use-slnx-format.md
│   ├── CONTRIBUTING.md           # Contribution guidelines
│   └── README.md                 # Documentation index
├── src/
│   └── README.md                 # Source code guidelines
├── tests/
│   └── README.md                 # Testing guidelines
├── .best-practices               # Team best practices
├── .editorconfig                 # Editor configuration
├── .gitignore                    # Git ignore rules
├── Directory.Build.props         # MSBuild properties
├── global.json                   # .NET SDK version
├── init-solution.ps1             # PowerShell init script
├── init-solution.sh              # Bash init script
├── LICENSE                       # Project license
├── QUICKSTART.md                 # Quick start guide
├── README.md                     # This file
└── Solution.slnx                 # VS2026 solution file

Building and Testing

Build the Solution

# Restore dependencies
dotnet restore

# Build
dotnet build

# Build in Release mode
dotnet build --configuration Release

Run Tests

# Run all tests
dotnet test

# Run with code coverage
dotnet test --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage"

Documentation

• Best Practices: Coding standards and guidelines
• Contributing Guide: How to contribute
• ADRs: Architecture decisions
• Source Code: Source organization
• Tests: Testing strategy

GitHub Copilot Integration

This template includes pre-configured GitHub Copilot instructions at .github/copilot-instructions.md to help AI assistance understand:

• Project structure and conventions
• Coding standards
• Architecture patterns
• Testing requirements
• Documentation expectations

CI/CD

The template includes a basic GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/ci.yml) that:

• Builds the solution on every push/PR
• Runs all tests
• Generates code coverage reports
• Performs code quality checks

What's the SLNX Format?

The .slnx format is the new XML-based solution file format introduced in Visual Studio 2026. Benefits include:

• Better merge resolution: XML structure reduces merge conflicts
• Human readable: Easy to read and understand
• Future-proof: Designed for modern development workflows
• Version control friendly: Cleaner diffs in pull requests

See ADR-0001 for more details on this decision.

Customization

Updating Project Names

1. Edit Solution.slnx and update project paths
2. Update namespace names in code files
3. Update documentation to reflect new names
4. Update CI/CD workflows if needed

Adding GitHub Actions Workflows

Add additional workflow files to .github/workflows/ for:

• Deployment pipelines
• Release automation
• Security scanning
• Performance testing

Configuring NuGet Feeds

Edit .nuget/NuGet.Config to add private feeds:

<add key="MyPrivateFeed" value="https://myfeed.example.com/nuget/v3/index.json" />

Contributing

Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for details on our code of conduct and the process for submitting pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the Unlicense - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

For questions and support:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check the documentation
• Review ADRs for architectural context

Acknowledgments

• Visual Studio 2026 team for the new SLNX format
• ADR methodology from Michael Nygard
• Best practices from the .NET community