I am trying to run a post-build step for a VS C# WinExe project, and noticed that many properties that I expected to be available are not: specifically, ProjectDir, ProjectPath, OutDir, and TargetDir. These values are present in a DLL project in the same solution. Is there a way to make them available for the exe?
Here are my project settings:
<OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>
<TargetFramework>net6.0-windows</TargetFramework>
And the post-build:
echo Configuration: "$(Configuration)"
echo SolutionDir: "$(SolutionDir)"
echo ProjectDir: "$(ProjectDir)"
echo ProjectPath: "$(ProjectPath)"
echo OutDir: "$(OutDir)"
echo TargetDir: "$(TargetDir)"
And the output:
2>Configuration: "Debug"
2>SolutionDir: "C:\git\EtmsConnectionSelectorFramework\"
2>ProjectDir: ""
2>ProjectPath: ""
2>OutDir: ""
2>TargetDir: ""
I found my problem: I assumed the syntax for the post-build event in the csproj file was the same as for net48 projects, but it is not.
I was using:
<PropertyGroup>
<PostBuildEvent>
<!-- commands go here -->
But the syntax should have been:
<Target Name="PostBuild" AfterTargets="PostBuildEvent">
<Exec Command=" (commands go here) " />
I'm a little surprised that the first attempt ran at all, instead of just failing to see values for certain properties. Regardless, it's working now.
Related
I am trying to build a visual studio solution from the windows command line as follows:
msbuild solution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release
But I need to exclude a certain directory from one of the projects, and include another one. How do I do that?
Use this in your project csproj file:
<Compile Include="Folder1/*" Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == 'Release' " />
<Compile Exclude="Folder2/*" Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == 'Release' " />
Of course, you already set up the Configuration property, but you can replace it with your own property and set him from command line same as Configuration.
In the project dir, add two folders "CppFilesForDebug" and "CppFilesForRelease".
The "CppFilesForDebug" folder contains "Debug1.cpp,Debug2.cpp,Debug3.cpp" while "CppFilesForRelease" folder contains "Release1.cpp,Release2.cpp,Release3.cpp ".
Then add statement in the bottom of the vcxproj file like red rectangle below:
The red rectangle means we build and compile cpp files in "CppFileForDebug" folder when using Debug mode. And in release mode, we only compile cpp files in "CppFilesForRelease" folder insteat of cpp files in "CppFilesForDebug" folder.
I test it with C++ projects in VS2015 and VS2017 and it works. I think it can go well with your command "msbuild solution.sln /t:Build /p:Configuration=Release". Please it a try and any feedback would be great.
Update:
IF your issue results from QT conflicts, In vs, go QT menu ->Qt Project Settings->MocDirectory-> change it to
.\GeneratedFiles
Note: Don forget the "." before \GenerateFiles. Hope it helps. Any update you can share here.
How can a .cmd script run from within a Visual Studio (2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013 respectively) project's pre-link stage determine whether this is a full rebuild (Build.RebuildSolution/Build.RebuildOnlyProject) or "ordinary" build (Build.BuildSolution/Build.BuildOnlyProject)?
This is an external script (LuaJIT, if you must know) and I don't want to rebuild the library every single build of the project. Instead I'd like to limit the complete rebuild to situations where I choose exactly that option.
How can a .cmd script run from within a Visual Studio (2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013 respectively) project's pre-link stage determine whether this is a full rebuild ... or "ordinary" build ... ?
I do not know if the exact thing that you are asking can be done - perhaps someone else knows how to do it. I will, however, suggest an alternate approach.
My approach is to remove the build of the Lua library from the pre-link step to a separate Visual Studio NMake project. If you create an NMake project, you will be able to know which type of build (build or rebuild) is occurring.
Note that later versions of Visual Studio simply refer to the project type as "Make". For discussion purposes here, I will refer to the project type as "NMake". I believe this is just a naming difference, and that the underlying build project remains the same between the two versions.
As a simple test, I created two Visual Studio applications: 1) an NMake project that calls a batch file to create a static library, and 2) a console application that consumes the library from step 1.
The NMake Project
In Visual Studio, if you create a new NMake project, you will see a dialog that allows you to provide MS-DOS commands:
As you can see, there are commands for: Build, Clean, Rebuild, and others. I don't have a screen shot of the above dialog with my commands, but here is my NMake project's properties:
My Build command just checks for the existence of the output file (lua.lib). If it does not exist, then it calls the rebuild.bat batch file. My Rebuild command always calls the batch file. My Clean command just deletes the output. I am not really sure what the Output command is used for, but I just filled in the path to the build output (lua.lib).
Now if you do a build, the lua.lib file will only be created if it is not there. If it is already there, nothing is done. If you do a rebuild, then a new lua.lib file is created.
The Console Application
In my console application, I added a reference to the NMake project - this way the NMake project is built prior to the console application. Here is the console application's reference page:
I also added the lua.lib file as an input during the application's link stage:
When the console application is built (during a build), it will build the NMake project if needed, and use the output (lua.lib) during the linker stage. When the console application is rebuilt (during a rebuild), it will also rebuild the NMake project.
Other Thoughts
My screen shots above only show the debug version of the properties. Your projects will have to account for the release version. There probably is a VS macro to handle this, but I am not sure since it has been ages since I've done anything with C/ C++.
In my testing above I use a single build batch file for both the build and rebuild. Obviously, you could do the same or you could use different batch files.
It may be a bit of a hack, but in .csproj file there are sections
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
</Target>
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
</Target>
You can set an variable from BeforeBuild and retrieve it from cmd script. Later on reset this variable in AfterBuild and you should be good to go.
Ok, this is going to be a long one.
First of all - do not take my code 'as is' - it is terrible one with lots of hacks, I had no idea msbuild is so broken by default (it seems at work I have access to waaaay more commands that make life easier). And another thing - it seems vcxproj is broken at some poin - I was not able to integrate the way I wanted with only BeforeRebuild and AfterRebuild targets - I had to redefine hole Rebuild target (it is located in C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Microsoft.Common.targets)
So, the idea is the following: when a Rebuild is happening we create an anchor. Then, during PreLink stage we execute cmd which is able to use created anchor. If the anchor is in place - we deal with Rebuild, if there is no anchor - it is a simple Build. After Rebuild is done - we delete the anchor.
modifications in vcxproj file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
....
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'" Label="Configuration">
....
<PreLinkEventUseInBuild>true</PreLinkEventUseInBuild>
....
</PropertyGroup>
....
<ItemDefinitionGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">
.....
<PreLinkEvent>
<Command>D:\PreLink\b.cmd</Command>
</PreLinkEvent>
.....
</ItemDefinitionGroup>
.....
<Target Name="BeforeRebuild">
<Exec Command="echo 2 > D:\PreLink\2.txt" />
</Target>
<Target Name="AfterRebuild">
<Exec Command="del D:\PreLink\2.txt" />
</Target>
<!-- This was copied from MS file -->
<PropertyGroup>
<_ProjectDefaultTargets Condition="'$(MSBuildProjectDefaultTargets)' != ''">$(MSBuildProjectDefaultTargets)</_ProjectDefaultTargets>
<_ProjectDefaultTargets Condition="'$(MSBuildProjectDefaultTargets)' == ''">Build</_ProjectDefaultTargets>
<RebuildDependsOn>
BeforeRebuild;
Clean;
$(_ProjectDefaultTargets);
AfterRebuild;
</RebuildDependsOn>
<RebuildDependsOn Condition=" '$(MSBuildProjectDefaultTargets)' == 'Rebuild' " >
BeforeRebuild;
Clean;
Build;
AfterRebuild;
</RebuildDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target
Name="Rebuild"
Condition=" '$(_InvalidConfigurationWarning)' != 'true' "
DependsOnTargets="$(RebuildDependsOn)"
Returns="$(TargetPath)"/>
<!-- End of copy -->
</Project>
And the cmd looks like this:
if exist 2.txt (
echo Rebuild818181
) else (
echo Build12312312
)
The output from Output window:
1>Task "Exec" (TaskId:41)
1> Task Parameter:Command=D:\PreLink\b.cmd
1> :VCEnd (TaskId:41)
1> Build12312312 (TaskId:41)
Things to improve:
Use normal variables instead of external file (it seems MsBuild extension pack should do it)
Probably find a way to override only BeforeRebuild and AfterRebuild instead of the hole Rebuild part
It is much easier. Just add the following target to your build file or visual Studio Project
<Target Name="AfterRebuild">
<Message Text="AFTER REBUILD" Importance="High" />
<!--
Do whatever Needs to be done on Rebuild - as the message shows in VS Output
window it is only executed when an explicit rebuild is triggered
-->
</Target>
If you want a two step solution use this as a template:
<PropertyGroup>
<IsRebuild>false</IsRebuild>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="BeforeRebuild">
<Message Text="BEFORE REBUILD" Importance="High" />
<PropertyGroup>
<IsRebuild>true</IsRebuild>
</PropertyGroup>
</Target>
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
<Message Text="BEFORE BUILD: IsRebuild: $(IsRebuild)" Importance="High" />
</Target>
Is it possible to use different pre-build events for different build configurations in Visual Studio?
For example, I'd like both a release configuration for a beta & live system and have the relevant app.[type].config get copied to app.config before it is compiled.
At the moment the configuration settings are baked into the .settings file, using the settings from the default app.config file.
Or just put the Condition on your target ... eg.,
Condition="'$(Configuration)' == 'Debug'"
.. or on your task.
If you're using Visual Studio VB/C# simple post build events, you can hand-edit the project file to put such conditions on the PreBuildEvent/PostBuildEvent property tags; and repeat the tags for Release.
Dan (msbuild dev)
You can do this in a couple of ways, depending on your exact situation:
Option 1: Check the $(ConfigurationName) variable in your pre-build script, like so:
IF EXISTS $(ProjectDir)app.$(ConfigurationName).config
COPY $(ProjectDir)app.$(ConfigurationName).config $(ProjectDir)app.config
Option 2: Add a "BeforeCompile" MSBuild target to your project file:
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
<!-- MSBuild Script here -->
</Target>
Option 3: Use configuration file transformations; this VSIX plug-in adds the web.config transform features to non-web projects. These are XSLT files that let you rewrite your config files on build (unlike web projects, where it happens on publish.)
To use different build events for different configuration in visual studio, open the cs proj file of the project. in the pre build section
<Target Name="PreBuild" BeforeTargets="PreBuildEvent">
<Exec Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Release'" Command="echo Release" />
<Exec Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Debug'" Command="echo Debug" />
</Target>
The command in "Command" parameter will only execute if this condition is met.
I've got a series of .NET 4 based web applications (WCF and Web) within the same solution, but need to selectively publish, from the command line.
I've tried various things so far, MSBuild, aspnet_compiler, but nothing, to date has worked.
I need to be able to specify the Project, not the solution, have any transforms run and have the output redirected to a folder...basically mimick the right mouse click 'Publish' option, using the File System.
In addition to all of this, I'd like to leave the projects alone - not adding msbuild files all over the place, as this is a specific build, and not necessarily related to the project.
Stuff I've tried:
Publish ASP.NET MVC 2 application from command line and Web.config transformations
Equivalent msbuild command for Publish from VS2008
Save the following script as publishProject.bat
rem publish passed project
rem params: %configuration% %destDir% %srcDir% %proj%
#echo off
SET DestPath=d:\projects\Publish\%2
SET SrcPath=d:\projects\Src\%3\
SET ProjectName=%4
SET Configuration=%1
RD /S /Q "%DestPath%" rem clear existed directory
:: build project
MSBuild "%SrcPath%%ProjectName%.vbproj" /p:Configuration=%Configuration%
:: deploy project
::/t:TransformWebConfig
MSBuild "%SrcPath%%ProjectName%.vbproj" /target:_CopyWebApplication /property:OutDir=%DestPath%\ /property:WebProjectOutputDir=%DestPath% /p:Configuration=%Configuration%
xcopy "%SrcPath%bin\*.*" "%DestPath%\bin\" /k /y
echo =========================================
echo %SrcPath%%3.vbproj is published
echo =========================================
I call it from another batch file
#echo off
rem VS2010. For VS2008 change %VS100COMNTOOLS% to %VS90COMNTOOLS%
call "%VS100COMNTOOLS%\vsvars32.bat"
SET ex=.\publishProject.bat Release
call %ex% KillerWebApp1 KillerWebApp1\KillerWebApp1 KillerWebApp1
call %ex% KillerWebApp2 KillerWebApp2\KillerWebApp2 KillerWebApp2
call %ex% KillerWebApp3 KillerWebApp3\KillerWebApp3 KillerWebApp3
call %ex% KillerWebApp4 KillerWebApp4\KillerWebApp4 KillerWebApp4
EDIT:
Code above works for most cases but not for all. I.e. we use another asp .net application and link it as virtual folder in IIS. For this situation VS2008 worked fine with code above but VS2010 also copy files from virtual directory while deploying. The following code works properly also in VS2010 (solution was found here)
Add to your project file (*.csproj, *.vbproj)
<Target Name="PublishToFileSystem" DependsOnTargets="PipelinePreDeployCopyAllFilesToOneFolder">
<Error Condition="'$(PublishDestination)'==''" Text="The PublishDestination property must be set to the intended publishing destination." />
<MakeDir Condition="!Exists($(PublishDestination))" Directories="$(PublishDestination)" />
<ItemGroup>
<PublishFiles Include="$(_PackageTempDir)\**\*.*" />
</ItemGroup>
<Copy SourceFiles="#(PublishFiles)" DestinationFiles="#(PublishFiles->'$(PublishDestination)\%(RecursiveDir)%(Filename)%(Extension)')" SkipUnchangedFiles="True" />
</Target>
Change publishProject.bat to:
rem publish passed project
rem params: %configuration% %destDir% %srcDir% %proj%
#echo off
SET DestPath=d:\projects\Publish\%2
SET SrcPath=d:\projects\Src\%3\
SET ProjectName=%4
SET Configuration=%1
:: clear existed directory
RD /S /Q "%DestPath%"
:: build and publish project
MSBuild "%SrcPath%%ProjectName%.vbproj" "/p:Configuration=%Configuration%;AutoParameterizationWebConfigConnectionStrings=False;PublishDestination=%DestPath%" /t:PublishToFileSystem
I know this is an old question, but I just learned something, so I decided I'd share: While it is 100% true that the "_CopyWebApplication" target exists and works, as of .NET 4.0 it has been superseded by the "_WPPCopyWebApplication" target in Microsoft.Web.Publishing.targets, which supports new features like web.config transformation syntax, etc.
Have you checked out WebDeploy?
This should do all the steps you need to have - it can bundle up a web app into a deployable file (a ZIP, basically), and there's an "engine" on the server that can interpret that deployable package and do all the heavy lifting for you.
Also see Scott Hanselman's Web Deployment Made Awesome: If You're Using XCopy, You're Doing It Wrong blog post - very enlightening!
My solution for CCNET with the Web.config transformation:
<tasks>
<msbuild>
<executable>C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\MSBuild.exe</executable>
<workingDirectory>E:\VersionesCC\Trunk_4\SBatz\Gertakariak_Orokorrak\GertakariakMS\Web</workingDirectory>
<projectFile>GertakariakMSWeb2.vbproj</projectFile>
<targets>Build</targets>
<timeout>600</timeout>
<logger>C:\Program Files\CruiseControl.NET\server\ThoughtWorks.CruiseControl.MSBuild.dll</logger>
<buildArgs>
/noconsolelogger /p:Configuration=Release /v:diag
/p:DeployOnBuild=true
/p:AutoParameterizationWebConfigConnectionStrings=false
/p:DeployTarget=Package
/p:_PackageTempDir=E:\Aplicaciones\GertakariakMS2\Web
</buildArgs>
</msbuild>
</tasks>
I am interested in setting up FxCop to run on each of our VS .csproj files in our developing environment by calling it as a target in the .csproj file itself without creating a separate MSBuild file for the project. Is this
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
<Exec Command=""C:\Program Files\Microsoft FxCop\FxCopCmd.exe" /searchgac /p:FxCopProject.fxcop /out:FxCopOutput.xml" ContinueOnError="true">
</Exec>
</Target>
possible to get working in one way or another being included at the tail end of my .csproj file?
I think you're looking for the post-build event.
Right Click the Project
Click Properties
Go to the "Build Events" Tab
Add the command line to the "Post-build event command line" box.
The following should work - paste it anywhere at just under the node level:
<PropertyGroup>
<PostBuildEvent>"%25ProgramFiles%25\Microsoft FxCop 1.36\FxCopCmd.exe" /p:$(SolutionDir)Bank.FxCop /o:$(TargetDir)FxCopResults.xml /d:"%25ProgramFiles%25\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\PublicAssemblies"
</PropertyGroup>
Note the /d parameter I'm using to point to where my project is using additional assemblies (in this case, the MSTest unit testing stuff).