Build the GitM add-in

This produces the three add-in DLLs that the installer bundles. It is the first step before creating the installer.

This is the operational summary. For project layout, the service-separation rule, and runtime constraints, see DEVELOPER.md in the GitM repository.

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Prerequisites

Requirement	Version	Notes
.NET SDK	Any recent	For the dotnet CLI
.NET Framework	4.8	Target framework — not .NET 6/8
Visual Studio	2022	Optional; the CLI build is sufficient
SolidWorks	2021+	Only needed to test the add-in, not to compile it

SolidWorks interop DLLs are committed to lib/solidworks/, so you can build without SolidWorks installed.

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Build the DLLs

Always build via the SolidWorks project — it copies every dependency to the correct output folder. Build Release (the installer pulls from bin/Release):

dotnet build GitM.SolidWorks/GitM.SolidWorks.csproj -c Release --no-incremental

Output lands in GitM.SolidWorks/bin/Release/net48/:

• GitM.SolidWorks.dll, GitM.Core.dll, GitM.UI.dll (the add-in)
• third-party runtime DLLs (Newtonsoft.Json, CommunityToolkit.Mvvm, Serilog, …)
• the version-matched SolidWorks.Interop.* assemblies

The installer's [Files] section references exactly these paths, so a clean Release build must exist before you compile the installer.

Build as AnyCPU (default). Do not pass -p:Platform=x64. The default configuration lands the DLLs in bin\Release\net48 where the installer and SolidWorks expect them.

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Set the deployment URLs (before building)

The add-in is a compiled .dll that runs on customer workstations — there is no runtime environment to configure, so its URLs are baked in at compile time. They live in a single file:

GitM.Core/Configuration/DeploymentConfig.cs

internal static class DeploymentConfig
{
    internal const string GitMCloudBaseUrl = "https://gitmcloud.gojain.com";  // web app
    internal const string DocsUrl          = "https://gitmdocs.gojain.com";   // ?→Help
    internal const string RealtimeDbUrl    = "https://gitmcloud-default-rtdb.firebaseio.com";
}

Every other place in the add-in (UserSettings, GitMVersion, the Supplier Exchange context) references these constants — so to point a build at a new domain you edit only this file, then rebuild and recompile the installer. Verify the values here match your live deployment before every release build.

The per-user GitMCloudBaseUrl in UserSettings is an optional override (e.g. to point a test build at localhost). DeploymentConfig supplies the default when no override is set.

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If the build fails with a file lock

SolidWorks (with the add-in loaded) holds the output DLLs open. Unload the add-in in SolidWorks → Tools → Add-ins, or close SolidWorks, then rebuild.

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Run the tests (optional)

dotnet test GitM.Tests/GitM.Tests.csproj

Tests reference GitM.Core only — no SolidWorks or UI required.

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Next

→ Create the installer exe