How to use this in a CMake C# project?

[bebuch]

I need to write a simple gRPC server for my Proto file in C#. Unfortunately, I have very little experience with C#. I am a C++ developer.

For internal project reasons, I would like to use CMake. What should a minimal project look like in which a gRPC server is implemented with grpc-dotnet?

It would be great if you could add a CMake project to the examples directory.

My current state is:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.11)

set(CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM Win32)
set(CMAKE_DOTNET_SDK "Microsoft.NET.Sdk")
set(CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK "net8.0")
set(CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION "v4.8")

project(AppName LANGUAGES CSharp)

file(GLOB SOURCE_FILES "*.cs")
add_executable(App ${SOURCE_FILES})
set_target_properties(App PROPERTIES VS_DOTNET_REFERENCE_Grpc_AspNetCore "Grpc.AspNetCore")

This enables me to create a VS Solution the I can open with Visual Studio. There I need to install Grpc.AspNetCore via right click on the project / Manage NuGet Packages.

I didn't find out yet how to add the Proto file.

[JamesNK]

You'll need to call protoc manually to generate CS files and then include those generate files.

Grpc.Tools is based around msbuild and integrates protoc into an msbuild compilation.

[bebuch]

Thanks for the answer!

I have now found a working workflow. I add the Proto file to my executable, so I can see it in the Project:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.11)

set(CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM Win32)
set(CMAKE_DOTNET_SDK "Microsoft.NET.Sdk")
set(CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK "net8.0")
set(CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION "v4.8")

project(AppName LANGUAGES CSharp)

file(GLOB SOURCE_FILES "*.cs" "Interface.proto")
add_executable(App ${SOURCE_FILES})
set_target_properties(App PROPERTIES VS_DOTNET_REFERENCE_Grpc_AspNetCore "Grpc.AspNetCore")

This generates a .csproj project with:

    <None Include="C:\path\to\Interface.proto">
      <Link>Interface.proto</Link>
    </None>

I replace this in the text editor with:

    <Protobuf Include="Interface.proto" GrpcServices="ServiceNameInProtoFile" Link="Interface.proto" />

(Note: My Interface.proto is located on the build directory.)

Then I open Visual Studio. Right click on the project. Manage NuGet Packages. Install Grpc.AspNetCore.

Then build.

---

It probably needs an extension of CMake to make the proto file not a None but a Protobuf XML node.

I have created a corresponding issue in CMake:

• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/issues/26242