Improve NuGet Package Management experience on VS

[anangaur]

There a list of issues with the current NuGet Package Manager UI. This Epic tries to capture all of them.

Unified Packages List

• Almost always end up with the incorrect tab (Browse vs. Installed vs. Updates)
  • https://twitter.com/sebastienros/status/1037741105792442368
• Shows a limited set of packages - unnecessary large cards with useless information

Confusing Package Source dropdown

• Package results list do not show the source(s) a given package (in the search list) is available at
• The Sources drop-down is confusing
  • Not applicable to all the tabs
  • While installing a package against a particular source, the dependencies are installed from any of the listed source(s) in nuget.config
• Not easy to disable some sources easily/temporarily

Settings

• The NuGet settings does not show the applicable nuget.config, nor does it allow modifying a given nuget.config
• The solution needs to be reopened for any changes to reflect changes to nuget.config(s)

Managing packages at a solution

• The current experience for package management for a solution is confusing/non-trivial with check-boxes
  

• The consolidate tab experience is also non-intuitive
  

• New experience needed for Central Package Version Management

UI Hangs

• There have been many instances of PM UI getting hung while updating/installing packages
  • Blog post comment

Context options for packages missing

• No option to add Package Reference in the Add Reference window:
  
• No context menu for manageing (updating) packages on the Package Reference in the solution explorer
  

• Default Selected Projects doesn't make sense with Selected Package in Solution PM UI #5761
• VS NuGet PMUI - Machine-wide package sources area should be vertically resize-able as well #7560
• Show missing metadata on VS PM - package details #7957
• VS Settings should include RestoreSources, RestoreAdditionalProjectSources & RestoreAdditionalProjectFallbackFolders #5321
• NuGet UI in Visual Studio should offer multiple choice options in consolidate tab #7318
• PM UI Package Source dropdown Default Selection should be Configurable again #7483
• Manage Packages for Solution (all dialogs) would be very nice search box for projects to filter #7960
• NuGet Package Manager UI for Solution is slow because restore is run for every project instead of after all projects are updated #6010
• Smart refreshing of the update/installed/consolidate tabs in the PM UI #8283
• NuGet.config settings UI to represent hierarchy of config files -- Design Discussion #1820
• NuGet UI design improvements #1236
• Manage NuGet Packages dialog shows 'Authors' of package but not 'Owners' #442
• Support specifying path to Nuget.Config for NuGet settings on VS #7533

[rohit21agrawal]

there is already a visual studio UI and bugs like #1236 to track discussions.

[anangaur]

Thanks for the pointer. I will dupe one of the issues after incorporating the suggestions into the relevant one that we can leave open.

[jainaashish]

More UI related issues, we should look them at when we try to fix these:
#5761
#7318

[anangaur]

More feedback on #7560

[grahamwager]

Couple to potentially add to this:

1. If possible, add the Manage NuGet Packages option to the context menu when you right-click NuGet underneath Dependencies, not just when you right-click Dependencies - the number of times I've done this is unreal...
2. Either kill or make functional the order in Options. Right now you can change the order but it doesn't save and apparently is irrelevant as all sources are checked anyway. (Side note: this "check everywhere" approach seems to expose data you wouldn't expect - e.g. internal package names & versions for one organisation to another if you have both configured, but that may be for another issue...!)

[anangaur]

Context menu needed for Project`Add\**Package`:

Current:

Expected:

[dominoFire]

Feedback Ticket : https://devdiv.visualstudio.com/DevDiv/_workitems/edit/1364858

[ghost]

Issue is missing Type label, remember to add a Type label