A simple starting point for building .NET applications. It assembles Specular (assembly scanning) and Dovetail (build-time composition) into ready-to-use wiring for common application types and libraries.
Joint: A unit of application wiring that Dovetail resolves and applies at build time. LaunchPad's replacement for what it previously called a convention. Avoid: Convention, module
Host model: The kind of application a project is (generic host, ASP.NET Core, Blazor WebAssembly, MAUI or Uno), decided at build time from its SDK and referenced assemblies. It determines which joints apply. Avoid: Environment, host type
Integration package: A package that adds LaunchPad support for one third-party technology on one surface, for example NodaTime with Entity Framework, or Newtonsoft.Json with ASP.NET Core. One technology usually has several. Avoid: Plugin, add-on, extension
Direct reference: A package or project reference a project declares itself, as opposed to one it only receives transitively. LaunchPad's templates and SDK detection act only on direct references. Avoid: Direct dependency
Template: Source shipped inside a package and written into a consuming project only when its host model and referenced libraries match, so unused wiring never compiles in. Avoid: Snippet, scaffold
LaunchPad SDK: The MSBuild SDK an application opts into so that the right LaunchPad packages are chosen from what the project references. It builds on Dovetail's SDK. Avoid: Meta-package, bundle