Cake.Build doesn't generate description for nuget and non-sdk projecs

[nils-a]

Discussed in https://github.com/orgs/cake-build/discussions/4293

^{Originally posted by DmitryLukyanov February 29, 2024}
have quite simple nuget package creating logic with cake.build:

        var nugetSettings = new NuGetPackSettings
        {
            OutputDirectory = "%some_path%",
            Verbosity = NuGetVerbosity.Detailed,
            Description = "oops, description",
            Version = "2.0.0"
        };

        context.NuGetPack("%project_path%", nugetSettings);

It generates nuget package and set expected version, but the description value is ignored. This is what I still see in ClassLibrary1.2.0.0.nupkg:

Target framework:

   <TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.5.2</TargetFrameworkVersion>

Description value is not appeared in the package metadata even if I manually add Description property to the .csproj file like:

   <Description>asd</Description>

This question is continuation of the discussion from here . It looks like Description even in theory can't be filled in this case? If so, why Description field does exist?

[nils-a]

The fact here, is that NuGetPack (like nuget.exe) has two very distinct usages: One operating on a project file and one operating on a .nuspec file and not all settings that are available in the NuGetPackSettings are used for both usages.

• We should make this more clear in the docs.
• Some properties could probably be set in some other way. (Like the Description property could most likely be set by adding it to the msbuild properties.)
• Properties that are set, but are not used in one of the use cases could produce a warning so that it is more obvious that this property is set but not being used.