title: Where does NuGet put the DLL file?
body: <p>I am trying to work around NuGet's <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7015149/multiperson-team-using-nuget-and-source-control">source control limitations</a>.</p>
  <p>To that end I need to know a bit more about how NuGet works. Let’s take a simple example. Say I have a project and I add AutoMapper to it. When I add it, where is the DLL file supposed to be put?</p>
  <p>I ask because it does not seem to be consistent.  Sometimes the reference is looking for the DLL file the &quot;Packages&quot; folder:</p>
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4sZHO.png" alt="NuGet using packages path" /></p>
  <p>And sometimes it is looking in the Debug build output folder:</p>
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/85aAp.png" alt="NuGet using the 'Debug' path" /></p>
  <p>But in both cases the AutoMapper line in the <code>packages.config</code> file is the same:</p>
  <p>First example:</p>
  <pre><code>&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;utf-8&quot;?&gt;
  &lt;packages&gt;
    &lt;package id=&quot;AutoMapper&quot; version=&quot;1.1.0.118&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;package id=&quot;CommonServiceLocator&quot; version=&quot;1.0&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;package id=&quot;Unity&quot; version=&quot;2.1.505.0&quot; /&gt;
  &lt;/packages&gt;
  </code></pre>
  <p>Second example:</p>
  <pre><code>&lt;?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;utf-8&quot;?&gt;
  &lt;packages&gt;
    &lt;package id=&quot;NSubstitute&quot; version=&quot;1.1.0.0&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;package id=&quot;AutoMapper&quot; version=&quot;1.1.0.118&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;package id=&quot;CommonServiceLocator&quot; version=&quot;1.0&quot; /&gt;
    &lt;package id=&quot;Unity&quot; version=&quot;2.1.505.0&quot; /&gt;
  &lt;/packages&gt;
  </code></pre>
  <p>So what is controlling where it sets up up the reference to? And how do I make it just use the Packages Location?</p>
  <p>(When it uses the Debug output folder those references fail if you to compile for &quot;Release&quot;.)</p>
  <p><strong>Frustrated Note:</strong> I have to admit that I am finding NuGet to be a cool idea, but it is not ready for anything but simple situations. (I am thinking about just going back to having a library folder with all my DLL files in it.)</p>
  <p>I can't help but wonder if I am missing something because NuGet has such wide spread adoption. There must be some way to make this work...</p>