#WSLC-CustomContainer

A barebones C# console sample that turns text (e.g. a URL) into a scannable QR code printed to your terminal — rendered by a tiny Python tool running inside a custom Linux container, using the Microsoft.WSL.Containers SDK.

Unlike the other samples (which pull public images), this one ships its own Containerfile that is built automatically as part of the normal build (F5) via the SDK's <WslcImage> MSBuild item — no manual docker/wslc steps. The app then loads that locally built image from a tar (no registry pull) and runs qr.py inside the container.

#How the auto-build works

WSLCCustomContainer.csproj declares:

<WslcImage Include="customcontainer"
           Image="customcontainer:latest"
           Dockerfile="Container\Containerfile"
           Context="Container"
           Sources="Container"
           TarLocation="$(OutDir)customcontainer.tar" />

After Build, the package runs wslc image build + wslc image save, producing customcontainer.tar next to the executable. The step is incremental: it only re-runs when files under Container\ change. (Requires the wslc CLI, installed by WSL — wsl --install --no-distribution.)

#Build

Requires the .NET 8 SDK. From this folder:

dotnet build -c Debug

#Run

dotnet run -- "https://aka.ms/wslc"

Pass any text or URL; with no argument it encodes a sample URL. The QR is drawn with Unicode blocks so you can scan it straight from the terminal.

#Storage

Everything lives next to the executable (no absolute paths): WslcQrStorage\ holds the ephemeral session VHD, and customcontainer.tar is the auto-built image.