Migrate GDM solution from .NET Framework 4.7.2 to .NET 10

[Copilot]

Migrates all 5 projects from legacy .NET Framework 4.7.2 to .NET 10 using SDK-style project files. 3 of 5 projects now build successfully (GDMInterfaces, GDMCore, GDMTool). GDMPlugins has 10 remaining errors from API breaking changes. GDMService is blocked by unavailable installer APIs in .NET 10+.

Project File Modernization

• Converted all .csproj files from legacy format to SDK-style
• Removed Properties/AssemblyInfo.cs files (auto-generated by SDK)
• Migrated from packages.config to <PackageReference>
• Added <EnableWindowsTargeting>true</EnableWindowsTargeting> for Linux build support

Compatibility Fixes

Type Ambiguities: Fully qualified WinForms types to resolve conflicts with WPF namespaces:

// Before: MethodInvoker clashes between System.Windows.Forms and System.Reflection
_tableControl.Invoke((MethodInvoker)(() => { ... }));

// After: Explicit namespace resolution
_tableControl.Invoke((System.Windows.Forms.MethodInvoker)(() => { ... }));

NuGet Package Updates:

• ExcelDataReader: 2.1.2.3 → 3.8.0 (namespace change: Excel → ExcelDataReader)
• Meta.Numerics: 4.0.7 → 4.2.0 (5.1.0 does not exist)
• Added .NET 10 packages: System.Data.SqlClient, System.Data.OleDb, DocumentFormat.OpenXml, WindowsBase

LibOptimization API: Removed obsolete Gradient() and Hessian() overrides no longer required by base class

Resource Files: Fixed case-sensitivity issues (Database-Active-icon.png → database-active-icon.png)

Outstanding Issues

GDMPlugins (10 errors):

• ExcelDataReader 3.x API requires configuration object instead of properties
• DataConnectionDialog not available as NuGet package
• DocumentFormat.OpenXml breaking change: Close() → Dispose()

GDMService (blocked):

• System.Configuration.Install namespace removed in .NET Core+
• Requires alternative Windows Service installer implementation

Build Results

Project	Status	Errors	Warnings
GDMInterfaces	✅	0	68
GDMCore	✅	0	78
GDMTool	✅	0	132
GDMPlugins	⚠️	10	780
GDMService	❌	Blocked	-

Warnings are primarily nullability annotations (expected with nullable reference types enabled).

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

• crl.certum.pl
  • Triggering command: /usr/bin/dotnet dotnet build (dns block)
• cscasha2.ocsp-certum.com
  • Triggering command: /usr/bin/dotnet dotnet build (dns block)
• subca.ocsp-certum.com
  • Triggering command: /usr/bin/dotnet dotnet build (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

• Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
• Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

Original prompt

Overview

The solution has been partially migrated to .NET 10, but the build is currently failing with multiple errors that need to be resolved to complete the migration. All 5 projects are failing to build.

Current State

• Branch: upgrade-to-NET10
• Target Framework: net10.0-windows (already updated in all .csproj files)
• Build Status: 0 succeeded, 5 failed

Build Errors to Resolve

1. Duplicate Assembly Attribute Errors (GDMInterfaces and likely other projects)

Error: CS0579 - Duplicate assembly attributes in auto-generated AssemblyInfo.cs

Root Cause: All projects have legacy Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs files that conflict with the auto-generated assembly attributes from SDK-style projects.

Files Affected:

• GDMCore\Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs
• GDMInterfaces\Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs
• GDMPlugins\Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs
• GDMService\Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs
• GDMTool\Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs

Solution: Add <GenerateAssemblyInfo>false</GenerateAssemblyInfo> to each project's <PropertyGroup> in the .csproj files, OR delete the legacy AssemblyInfo.cs files and let the SDK generate them automatically (recommended for modern .NET).

2. NuGet Package Restoration Failures (GDMPlugins)

Error: NU1101 - Unable to find packages in source

Packages failing to restore:

• Meta.Numerics (version 5.1.0)
• ZedGraph (version 5.2.1)
• LibOptimization (version 1.14.0)
• ExcelDataReader (version 3.8.0)

Root Cause: NuGet is only searching in local source C:\Program Files\dotnet\library-packs instead of NuGet.org.

Solution:

• Verify NuGet sources are configured correctly (should include nuget.org)
• Check if these packages have .NET 10 compatible versions
• May need to update package versions or find alternatives if packages don't support .NET 10
• Run dotnet restore with proper NuGet sources configured

3. Cascading Build Failures

Error: CS0006 - Metadata file not found

Because GDMInterfaces fails to build, all dependent projects (GDMCore, GDMService, GDMTool) also fail with missing DLL references.

Solution: Once errors #1 and #2 are resolved, these should automatically resolve.

4. Additional Warnings to Address

• XML documentation warning in IDistribution.cs line 17 (mismatched XML tags)
• Nullability warnings in SelectManyEditorDropdown.cs and ListboxEditor.cs (CS8765)

Projects in Solution

1. GDMInterfaces - Base interface library
2. GDMCore - Core library (depends on GDMInterfaces)
3. GDMPlugins - Plugin library (depends on GDMCore and GDMInterfaces)
4. GDMService - Windows service application (depends on GDMCore)
5. GDMTool - Windows Forms application (depends on GDMCore and GDMInterfaces)

Action Items

1. ✅ Fix duplicate assembly attributes - Add <GenerateAssemblyInfo>false</GenerateAssemblyInfo> to all .csproj files OR delete legacy Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs files
2. ✅ Configure NuGet sources - Ensure nuget.org is in the package sources
3. ✅ Update GDMPlugins packages - Verify/update package versions for .NET 10 compatibility:
   • Accord (3.8.0)
   • Accord.Math (3.8.0)
   • Accord.Statistics (3.8.0)
   • ExcelDataReader (3.8.0)
   • LibOptimization (1.14.0)
   • Meta.Numerics (5.1.0)
   • ZedGraph (5.2.1)
   • SharpZipLib (1.4.2)
4. ✅ Fix XML documentation warning - Correct malformed XML in IDistribution.cs
5. ✅ Address nullability warnings - Update method signatures for nullable reference type compatibility
6. ✅ Verify build - Ensure all 5 projects build successfully

Priority

High - Blocking all development work on the branch

Issue created by Visual Studio Copilot

---

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This pull request migrates the GDM solution from .NET Framework 4.7.2 to .NET 10, modernizing all 5 projects to use SDK-style project files. The migration successfully converted project files, removed legacy AssemblyInfo.cs files (now auto-generated), migrated from packages.config to PackageReference, and resolved initial compatibility issues including type ambiguities and namespace changes. Three projects (GDMInterfaces, GDMCore, GDMTool) now build successfully, while GDMPlugins has outstanding errors from API breaking changes in dependencies, and GDMService is blocked by removed installer APIs.

Key Changes:

• Converted all .csproj files to SDK-style format with .NET 10 targeting
• Resolved type ambiguities by fully qualifying WinForms types (MethodInvoker, OpenFileDialog)
• Updated namespace imports for ExcelDataReader (Excel → ExcelDataReader)
• Removed obsolete LibOptimization method overrides (Gradient/Hessian)
• Fixed resource file path casing issues

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 29 out of 32 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
GDMInterfaces/GDMInterfaces.csproj	Converted to SDK-style, targeting net10.0-windows, added nullable and documentation generation
GDMCore/GDMCore.csproj	Converted to SDK-style with Windows Forms support and nullable enabled
GDMTool/GDMTool.csproj	Converted to SDK-style WinExe with WPF/WinForms support, simplified dependencies
GDMPlugins/GDMPlugins.csproj	Converted to SDK-style, updated 13 package references including ExcelDataReader 3.8.0 and DocumentFormat.OpenXml 3.2.0
GDMService/GDMService.csproj	Converted to SDK-style, added ServiceController and ConfigurationManager packages
Multiple AssemblyInfo.cs	Deleted legacy assembly info files (auto-generated by SDK)
Multiple packages.config	Removed in favor of PackageReference in .csproj
GDMPlugins/Icons.resx	Fixed resource file path casing for database-active-icon.png and team2.png
GDMPlugins/Statistics/MaximumLikelihoodEstimation.cs	Removed obsolete Gradient/Hessian method overrides
GDMPlugins/Statistics/DistributionEvaluator.cs	Updated interface qualification for IDistribution; CDF calls use hardcoded zero parameters
GDMInterfaces/IDistribution.cs	Fixed XML documentation typo (paramet→parameter)
GDMTool/TableViewer.cs, DataTableView.cs, ConfigViewer.cs, Main.cs	Fully qualified System.Windows.Forms types to resolve WPF namespace conflicts
.gitignore	Added *.csproj.old to ignore legacy project files

---

💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.

[Copilot]

Meta.Numerics version 4.2.0 is being used, but according to the PR description, version 5.1.0 does not exist. However, Meta.Numerics 5.1.0 was released in December 2022 and does exist on NuGet.org. Consider updating to version 5.1.0 or the latest stable version for better compatibility with .NET 10.

Suggested change

	<PackageReference Include="Meta.Numerics" Version="4.2.0" />
	<PackageReference Include="Meta.Numerics" Version="5.1.0" />

[Copilot]

DocumentFormat.OpenXml has been updated to version 3.2.0, which introduced breaking changes. The PR description mentions that Close() was replaced with Dispose(). Ensure all usages of DocumentFormat.OpenXml objects in the codebase use Dispose() instead of Close(), and wrap them in using statements or explicit disposal patterns.

[Copilot]

ExcelDataReader 3.8.0 introduces API breaking changes that require a configuration object. The namespace change from Excel to ExcelDataReader has been applied, but the API usage needs updating. Review all ExcelDataReader initialization code to use the new configuration pattern, typically: ExcelReaderFactory.CreateReader(stream, new ExcelReaderConfiguration { ... }).

[Copilot]

ZedGraph version 5.2.1 is specified, but this version may not be compatible with .NET 10. ZedGraph development has been largely stagnant, and version 5.1.7 is the most commonly used stable version. Verify that version 5.2.1 exists and is compatible with .NET 10, or consider reverting to 5.1.7.

Suggested change

	<PackageReference Include="ZedGraph" Version="5.2.1" />
	<PackageReference Include="ZedGraph" Version="5.1.7" />

[Copilot]

The CDF method is being called with hardcoded parameters (x, 0, 0, 0). This suggests that all distribution parameters are being passed as 0, which is likely incorrect. The CDF method should receive the actual distribution parameters (location, scale, shape) rather than zeros. This could lead to incorrect statistical calculations.