.NET Core MVC Scaffolding

Bring Visual Studio's powerful .NET Core MVC scaffolding and publishing capabilities to VS Code. This extension provides an intuitive right-click interface for generating MVC controllers, views, and publishing your applications to folders or IIS servers - just like in Visual Studio.

✨ Features

🏗️ MVC Scaffolding

• One-click scaffolding: Right-click any .cs model file to generate complete MVC controllers
• Smart dependency management: Automatically detects and installs missing NuGet packages
• Flexible data context support: Choose from existing contexts or specify custom ones
• View generation: Optional automatic view generation with default layouts and script libraries

📦 Publish to Folder

• Visual Studio-like publishing: Right-click .csproj files for familiar publishing workflow
• Interactive configuration: Choose Debug/Release builds and target frameworks
• Smart defaults: Remembers last publish location and auto-detects project framework version
• Folder selection: Built-in folder picker for publish destinations
• Cross-platform support: Works seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux

🌐 Publish to IIS (Web Deploy)

• Direct IIS deployment: One-click publishing to IIS servers using Web Deploy (MSDeploy)
• Profile management: Use existing .pubxml profiles or create new ones through VS Code
• Secure credentials: Passwords stored in VS Code's secure storage (never in files)
• Visual Studio compatible: Works with publish profiles created in Visual Studio
• Incremental deployment: Only changed files are deployed for faster updates
• Production ready: Supports authentication, SSL certificates, and multiple environments
• 📖 Full guide: See IIS-PUBLISH-GUIDE.md for detailed setup and usage

🛡️ Robust Path Handling

• Special character support: Handles paths with !, @, #, and other special characters
• Cross-platform compatibility: Proper shell escaping for all operating systems
• Clear feedback: Integrated terminal output with progress information

🚀 Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for ".NET Core MVC Scaffolding"
4. Click Install

From Command Line

code --install-extension LeviBickel.net-core-mvc-scaffolding

📖 Usage

Scaffolding MVC Controllers

1. Right-click on any .cs model file in your project
2. Select "Scaffold MVC Controller" from the context menu
3. Follow the prompts to:
   • Install any missing dependencies (if needed)
   • Choose your data context
   • Specify controller name
   • Choose whether to generate views

The extension will generate a complete MVC controller with CRUD operations and optionally create corresponding views.

Publishing to Folder

1. Right-click on any .csproj file in your project
2. Select "Publish to Folder" from the context menu
3. Choose your publish destination folder
4. Select build configuration (Debug/Release)
5. Optionally specify target framework (e.g., net8.0)

The extension will execute dotnet publish with your selected options.

Publishing to IIS (Web Deploy)

Using Existing Profile

1. Right-click on any .csproj file in your project
2. Select "Publish to IIS (Web Deploy)" from the context menu
3. Choose an existing profile from the list (📄 icon)
4. Enter credentials if not already stored
5. Select build configuration (Debug/Release)
6. Confirm or adjust target framework

Creating New Profile

1. Right-click on any .csproj file in your project
2. Select "Publish to IIS (Web Deploy)" from the context menu
3. Choose "➕ Create New Profile"
4. Follow the interactive wizard:
   • Profile name: e.g., Production, Staging
   • Server URL: e.g., https://yourserver:8172/msdeploy.axd
   • IIS Site name: e.g., Default Web Site/MyApp
   • Username & Password: Deployment credentials
   • SSL Certificate: Allow untrusted (for self-signed certs)

📖 For detailed setup, troubleshooting, and server configuration, see IIS-PUBLISH-GUIDE.md

Server Requirements:

• IIS with Web Deploy 3.6+ installed
• Web Management Service (WMSvc) running
• Download Web Deploy: https://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/web-deploy

📋 Requirements

• VS Code 1.95.0 or higher
• .NET SDK installed and available in PATH
• .NET Core MVC project with proper project structure

Optional Dependencies

• Entity Framework Core (for scaffolding with data contexts)
• Microsoft.VisualStudio.Web.CodeGeneration.Design (automatically installed when needed)

🔧 Supported Scenarios

• ✅ .NET Core 6.0+ MVC projects
• ✅ Entity Framework Core models
• ✅ Custom and existing DbContexts
• ✅ Cross-platform development (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• ✅ Workspaces with special characters in paths
• ✅ IIS deployment with Web Deploy (Windows Server)
• ✅ Multiple deployment environments (Dev, Staging, Production)

🔒 Security

This extension is actively maintained with regular security updates. All dependencies are kept up-to-date to ensure the safety of your development environment.

🎬 Screenshots

MVC Scaffolding in Action

Right-click any C# model file to instantly scaffold a complete MVC controller with CRUD operations.

Publish to Folder

Right-click any .csproj file to publish your application to a local or network folder.

Publish to IIS

One-click deployment to IIS servers using Web Deploy with secure credential storage and profile management.

❓ FAQ

How do I scaffold a controller?

Simply right-click on any .cs model file in your project explorer and select "Scaffold MVC Controller" from the context menu.

What dependencies are automatically installed?

The extension will detect if you're missing Microsoft.VisualStudio.Web.CodeGeneration.Design and prompt you to install it automatically.

Can I use my own DbContext?

Yes! The extension will detect existing DbContexts in your project and let you choose from them, or you can specify a custom one.

Does this work on macOS and Linux?

Absolutely! The extension is fully cross-platform and works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

What .NET versions are supported?

The extension supports .NET Core 6.0 and higher, including .NET 8.0 and .NET 9.0.

How do I publish to IIS?

Right-click your .csproj file and select "Publish to IIS (Web Deploy)". You can use existing publish profiles or create new ones through the interactive wizard. See IIS-PUBLISH-GUIDE.md for server setup requirements.

Are my deployment credentials safe?

Yes! Deployment passwords are stored in VS Code's secure credential storage (same as Git credentials). They are never saved in files or committed to source control. You can choose whether to save credentials or be prompted each time.

Can I use publish profiles created in Visual Studio?

Absolutely! This extension is fully compatible with .pubxml files created in Visual Studio. Just place them in Properties/PublishProfiles/ and they'll be automatically detected.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Extension doesn't appear in context menu

• Ensure you're right-clicking on a .cs file for scaffolding or .csproj file for publishing
• Restart VS Code after installation

Scaffolding fails with dependency errors

• Make sure you have .NET SDK installed and available in your PATH
• Run dotnet --version in terminal to verify
• The extension will prompt to install missing NuGet packages automatically

Special characters in path cause issues

• Version 0.0.9+ includes enhanced special character handling
• Update to the latest version if you're experiencing path-related issues

DbContext not detected

• Ensure your DbContext class inherits from DbContext
• Check that your project is properly built
• The DbContext must be in the same project as your model

📝 Release Notes

0.0.17 (Latest)

• 🆕 MAJOR FEATURE: IIS Web Deploy Publishing
  • One-click deployment to IIS servers using Web Deploy (MSDeploy)
  • Full publish profile management - use existing .pubxml files or create new ones
  • Secure credential storage using VS Code Secrets API (never stored in files)
  • Interactive 4-step guided URL builder with auto-completion and validation
  • Visual Studio compatible - works seamlessly with profiles created in VS
  • Incremental deployment - only changed files are deployed
  • Production-ready with SSL support and authentication handling
• 📖 DOCUMENTATION: Comprehensive IIS publishing guide (IIS-PUBLISH-GUIDE.md)
  • Complete setup instructions for IIS and Web Deploy
  • Troubleshooting guide with diagnostic scripts
  • Security best practices and FAQ
  • CI/CD integration examples
• ✅ TESTING: 23 automated tests for IIS publishing functionality
  • XML generation and parsing validation
  • Profile discovery and management
  • Security verification (passwords never in files)
  • Round-trip testing and edge cases
• 🔧 IMPROVED: Enhanced user experience with helpful validation messages

0.0.16

• 🐛 CRITICAL FIX: Comprehensive cross-platform path handling
  • Implemented OS-aware path quoting for all terminal commands
  • Windows (PowerShell/CMD): Clean quoting without unnecessary escaping
  • Unix (Bash/Zsh/Fish): Proper escaping of $, `, \, and " characters
  • Fixed c:\ being converted to c\: causing "drive not found" errors on Windows
  • Resolves "Project file does not exist" errors across all platforms and shell types
  • Tested with 28 comprehensive tests covering all edge cases

0.0.15

• 🔒 SECURITY: Fixed minimatch ReDoS vulnerability (GHSA-23c5-xmqv-rm74 - High severity)
  • Updated minimatch to 3.1.4+ to prevent catastrophic backtracking in regular expressions
  • All transitive dependencies updated to secure versions
• ✅ VERIFIED: Zero security vulnerabilities detected

0.0.14

• 🐛 BUGFIX: Fixed Windows drive letter path handling in publish command
  • Removed incorrect escaping of colon : character that caused paths like c:\ to become c\:
  • Resolves "Project file does not exist" errors when publishing on Windows
  • Improves cross-platform path compatibility

0.0.13

• 🔒 SECURITY: Fixed all 7 security vulnerabilities
  • Updated undici to 7.18.2+ (CVE-2026-22036 - Moderate)
  • Updated lodash to 4.17.23+ (CVE-2025-13465 - Moderate)
  • Updated @isaacs/brace-expansion to 5.0.1+ (CVE-2026-25547 - High)
  • Updated markdown-it to 14.1.1+ (CVE-2026-2327 - Moderate)
  • Updated qs to 6.14.2+ (CVE-2026-2391 - Low)
  • Updated minimatch to 10.2.1+ (CVE-2026-26996 - High)
  • Updated ajv to 8.18.0+ (CVE-2025-69873 - Moderate)
• 🆕 FEATURE: Publish to folder now remembers last used location
• 🆕 FEATURE: Target framework auto-detects from project (no more defaulting to net8.0)
• 🧹 CLEANUP: Removed deprecated inflight package (memory leak risk)
• 📦 IMPROVED: Updated 101 dependencies to latest compatible versions
• ✅ VERIFIED: Zero vulnerabilities, zero deprecation warnings

0.0.10

• 🔒 SECURITY: Updated all dependencies to fix security vulnerabilities
  • Fixed tar-fs (CVE-2025-59343 - High severity)
  • Fixed js-yaml (CVE-2025-64718 - Moderate severity)
  • Fixed glob (CVE-2025-64756 - High severity)
  • Fixed jws (CVE-2025-65945 - High severity)
  • Fixed qs (High severity)
• 📦 IMPROVED: Reduced extension package size from 81.58 KB to 8.08 KB
• ✅ VERIFIED: All tests passing with zero security vulnerabilities

0.0.9

• 🆕 NEW: Added "Publish to Folder" feature for .csproj files
• 🔧 IMPROVED: Enhanced special character handling in file paths
• 🔧 IMPROVED: Better shell command escaping for cross-platform compatibility
• 🔧 IMPROVED: Updated user interface descriptions and functionality

0.0.7

• Enhanced scaffolding functionality and improved error handling

0.0.6

• Added support for custom Database Context names
• Improved DbContext handling and selection

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests on our GitHub repository.

📄 License

This extension is licensed under the terms specified in the license file.

🐛 Issues & Support

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please report it on our GitHub Issues page.

Enjoy scaffolding! 🎉