# Packaging and External Consumer Use

Nexamas UI is delivered as a `Nexamas.UI` NuGet package targeting .NET Framework 4.8. The repository documentation and release-docs are source/distribution assets; the package payload is intentionally smaller.

## Consumer install from a local package folder

For pre-release/evaluation delivery, point NuGet to the local package folder:

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <packageSources>
    <clear />
    <add key="LocalNexamas" value="D:\Path\To\Nexamas.UI\.artifacts\nuget" />
    <add key="NuGetOfficial" value="https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json" />
  </packageSources>
</configuration>
```

Then reference the package:

```xml
<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="Nexamas.UI" Version="1.0.0-rc.1" />
</ItemGroup>
```

For the commercial stable release, this version becomes the published release version such as `1.0.0` after the RC and stable-release phases.

## Package payload policy

The package is expected to include:

- `lib/net48/Nexamas.UI.dll`
- `lib/net48/Nexamas.UI.xml`
- `buildTransitive/Nexamas.UI.targets`

The companion `.snupkg` symbol package is expected to include `lib/net48/Nexamas.UI.pdb`.
- `README.md`
- `LICENSE.md`
- `THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md`

The full `docs/`, `eng/`, `samples/`, and `tools/` trees are repository/release assets, not normal NuGet runtime payload.

## NuGet README

`Nexamas.UI.nuspec` declares:

```xml
<readme>README.md</readme>
```

and includes:

```xml
<file src="README.md" target="" />
```

This is the expected package-readme configuration for NuGet consumers.

## External consumer proof

After packing, run:

```powershell
.\eng\ci\Test-NexamasUIPackedConsumer.ps1 -Configuration Release -Platform x64
```

A passing result proves that a separate consumer probe can restore/build/run against the package instead of referencing the source project directly.

## Related pages

- [Application and window lifetime](application-and-window-lifetime.md)
- [Diagnostics and quality proof](diagnostics-and-quality-proof.md)
- [Package documentation boundary](../_inventory/package-documentation-boundary.md)
- [Quick start copy-paste](../developer/quickstart-copy-paste.md)

## Evidence

- `Nexamas.UI.nuspec`
- `Nexamas.UI.vbproj`
- `buildTransitive/Nexamas.UI.targets`
- `eng/ci/Pack-Nexamas.UI.ps1`
- `eng/ci/Test-NexamasUIPackedConsumer.ps1`
- `samples/MinimalConsumerApp/`