My C++ project includes a set of (non-code) files that need to be copied to the output directory verbatim. I added them to my .vcxproj as Content nodes with CopyToOutputDirectory set to PreserveNewest. For example:
<ItemGroup>
<Content Include="util.exe">
<CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
</Content>
<Content Include="lib_util_needs.dll">
<CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
</Content>
<!-- etc. -->
</ItemGroup>
This almost works; when I build the project, each content file is correctly copied to the output directory if its timestamp is newer than whatever's already there. But... if I update one of these content files without modifying an actual compiled code file at the same time, Visual Studio 2017 concludes that the project is already up to date, does not build, and does not copy the newer version of the content file to the output directory. Is there anything I can do about this? Things that do not work:
Setting PublishState to Prerequisite under the Content node
Listing content files as DependentUpon nodes under a code file's node
Edit: After further investigation, it appears that the behavior depends on the content file's extension. For example, dlls behave the way I want (project marked as dirty and built if the timestamp is updated), but exes do not.
How can I get VS to consider my project dirty when (only) a Content item is dirty?
You can set the property the UpToDateCheckInput to the item:
<ItemGroup>
<UpToDateCheckInput Include="util.exe">
<CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
</UpToDateCheckInput>
<!-- etc. -->
</ItemGroup>
Or set the property DisableFastUpToDateCheck to true in the project file to disable FastUpToDateCheck for Visual Studio build manager:
<PropertyGroup>
<DisableFastUpToDateCheck>True</DisableFastUpToDateCheck>
</PropertyGroup>
Check MSDN about DisableFastUpToDateCheck:
A boolean value that applies to Visual Studio only. The Visual Studio
build manager uses a process called FastUpToDateCheck to determine
whether a project must be rebuilt to be up to date. This process is
faster than using MSBuild to determine this. Setting the
DisableFastUpToDateCheck property to true lets you bypass the Visual
Studio build manager and force it to use MSBuild to determine whether
the project is up to date
Hope this helps.
I want to use different Package.appxmanifest files for some build configurations. I cannot include more than one appxmanifest-file into my Xamarin-UWP project.
And ideas like doing it like Android also doesn't work:
Working for multiple AndroidManifest files:
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release-CH|AnyCPU'">
…
<AndroidManifest>Properties\AndroidManifestCH.xml</AndroidManifest>
</PropertyGroup>
How can I achive this for UWP?
And ideas like doing it like Android also doesn't work
According to App package manifest, Every app package must include one package manifest. If you create a new appxmanifest file in the uwp, it will throw error like the follow.
The project contains 2 items that represent the app manifest: Package.appxmanifest, Test.appxmanifest. The project can contain only one app manifest
If you do want to use different Package.appxmanifest files for some build configurations. you could edit FileGuidTest.csproj manually.
Right Click Project-> Unload Project-> Re-Right Click Project-> Edit Project.csproj file.
<ItemGroup>
<AppxManifest Include="Package.appxmanifest">
<SubType>Designer</SubType>
</AppxManifest>
<AppxManifest Include="app.appxmanifest">
<SubType>Designer</SubType>
</AppxManifest>
<None Include="FileGuidTest_TemporaryKey.pfx" />
<AppxManifest Include="Test.appxmanifest">
<SubType>Designer</SubType>
</AppxManifest>
</ItemGroup>
Find out the above ItemGroup node and reserve only one AppxManifest. And then modify the follow PropertyGroup node.
<PropertyGroup>
<ApplicationManifest>Package.appxmanifest</ApplicationManifest>
</PropertyGroup>
I have an MVC 4 project in Visual Studio 2012. There is Logs folder in it containing only four empty subfolders. This structure is needed by one library I use. I included these folders to project like this:
<ItemGroup>
<Folder Include="App_Data\" />
<Folder Include="XSockets\XSocketServerPlugins\Log\XConnectionInterceptor\" />
<Folder Include="XSockets\XSocketServerPlugins\Log\XErrorInterceptor\" />
<Folder Include="XSockets\XSocketServerPlugins\Log\XHandshakeInterceptor\" />
<Folder Include="XSockets\XSocketServerPlugins\Log\XMessageInterceptor\" />
</ItemGroup>
But this is not enough and all these folders (including App_Data which was there from creation of project by Visual Studio) are not copied to package. Can I somehow force MSBuild to copy them even though they are empty?
Add a PostBuild step to copy the folders.
I can't answer specifically for VS2012, but here's how you do this in VS2010:
Right-click on the project and select Properties
Display the Build Events tab
Put your copy commands in the post-build event commands
If you click the edit button, the pop-up dialog will have a macros button that lists all of the available VS variables you can use to avoid using explicit paths, etc.
In VS2010, that modifies the project file to look something like this:
<PropertyGroup>
<PostBuildEvent>copy /Y "$(TargetDir)\*.*" "$(ProjectDir)\..\..\..\net40"</PostBuildEvent>
</PropertyGroup>
Do not edit the project file.
I can see that you are using an older version on XSockets, Right?
Do as Brenda says and do not mind the project file.
Look at the image attached...
Not 100% sure that it is this that you are looking for, but... it shows both pre- and post- build events
Regards
Uffe, Team XSockets
I have got a project that we publish via ClickOnce; and this project contains some DLL's for localization. But as you know these DLL's are not directly referenced to the project. They are in a separeted folder in the project.
Because of Code Analysis warnings we configured these files' Build Action attribute to None.
But if publish while their Build Action = None, as you guess Visual Studio doesn't include them in to the package. So before we start publish, we change their Build Action attribute to Content.
But now, i want to publish via Team Build 2010; so Team Build will create ClickOnce package. However i couldn't find the way to change Build Action attribute of a file.
Is there any possible way of this?
I found my own solution with using Condition attribute.
The project file contains solution items according to their Build Action property.
For example,
if file's Build Action = None, project file contains it like this
<None Include="MyRequiredAssembly.dll" />
Otherwise, if file's Build Action = Content it looks like this
<Content Include="MyRequiredAssembly.dll" />
All of these files are groupped into <ItemGroup> and ItemGroup tag has Condition attribute.
So i decided to use Condition to change Build Action property like this.
<ItemGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Publish|AnyCPU'">
<Content Include="MyRequiredAssembly.dll" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Publish|AnyCPU'">
<None Include="MyRequiredAssembly.dll" />
</ItemGroup>
I hope this helps you too.
Can I exclude a folder or files when I publish a web site in Visual Studio 2005? I have various resources that I want to keep at hand in the Solution Explorer, such as alternate config files for various environments, but I don't really want to publish them to the server. Is there some way to exclude them? When using other project types, such as a .dll assembly, I can set a file's Build Action property to "None" and its Copy to Output Directory property to "Do not copy". I cannot find any similar settings for files in a web site.
If the IDE does not offer this feature, does anyone have good technique for handling such files?
Exclude files and folders by adding ExcludeFilesFromDeployment and ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment elements to your project file (.csproj, .vbproj, etc). You will need to edit the file in a text editor, or in Visual Studio by unloading the project and then editing it.
Add the tags anywhere within the appropriate PropertyGroup (Debug, Release, etc) as shown below:
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
...
<ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>File1.aspx;Folder2\File2.aspx</ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
<ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>**\.svn\**\*.*</ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
<ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>Folder1;Folder2\Folder2a</ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
</PropertyGroup>
Wildcards are supported.
To explain the example above:
The 1st ExcludeFilesFromDeployment excludes File1.aspx (in root of project) and Folder2\File2.aspx (Folder2 is in the root of the project)
The 2nd ExcludeFilesFromDeployment excludes all files within any folder named .svn and any of its subfolders
The ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment excludes folders named Folder1 (in root of project) and Folder2\Folder2a (Folder2 is in the root of the project)
For more info see MSDN blog post Web Deployment: Excluding Files and Folders via the Web Application’s Project File
Amazingly the answer for Visual Studio 2012 is not here:
The answer with green checkmark is not the answer.
The highest "upped" answer references an article from 2010 and says you have to edit your csproj project file which is now incorrect. I added the ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment XML element to my Visual Studio 2012 csproj file and it did nothing, the element was considered invalid, this is because ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment has been moved to the .pubxml file it looks like.
For Web Applications and Websites you edit the .pubxml file!
You can follow my answer or try this guide which I found later:
http://www.leniel.net/2014/05/using-msdeploy-publish-profile-pubxml-to-create-an-empty-folder-structure-on-iis-and-skip-deleting-it-with-msdeployskiprules.html#sthash.MSsQD8U1.dpbs
Yes, you can do this not just for Website Projects but Websites too. I spent a long time on the internet looking for this elusive exclude ability with a Visual Studio Website (NOT Website project) and had previously concluded it was not possible but it looks like it is:
In your [mypublishwebsitename].pubxml file, found in ~/Properties/PublishProfiles for Web Application Projects and ~/App_Data/PublishProfiles for Websites, simply add:
<ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>File1.aspx;Folder2\File2.aspx</ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
<ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>Folder1;Folder2\Folder2a</ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
as children to the main <PropertyGroup> element in your .pubxml file. No need to add a new element not unless you are keying a specific build type, like release or debug.
BUT WAIT!!!
If you are removing files from your destination/target server with the following setting in your Publish configuration:
Then the Web Publish process will delete on your source/target server anything excluded, like an item you have delineated in your <ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment> and <ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>!
MsDeploy Skip Rules to the rescue:
First, Web Publish uses something other than MSBuild to publish (called Task IO or something like that) but it has a bug and will not recognize skip rules, so you must add to your .pubxml:
<PropertyGroup>
<WebPublishMethod>MSDeploy</WebPublishMethod>
</PropertyGroup>
I would keep <WebPublishMethod> in its own <PropertyGroup>, you would think you could just have one <PropertyGroup> element in your .pubxml but my Skip Rules were not being called until I moved <WebPublishMethod> to its own <PropertyGroup> element. Yes, crazy, but the fact you need to do all this for Web Publish to exclude and also not delete a folder/file on your server is crazy.
Now my actual SkipRules, ExcludeFolders and ExcludeFiles declarations in my .pubxml:
<ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>Config</ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
<ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>Photos</ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
<ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>Temp</ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
<ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>Web.config</ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
<AfterAddIisSettingAndFileContentsToSourceManifest>AddCustomSkipRules</AfterAddIisSettingAndFileContentsToSourceManifest>
And now a the Skip Rules (<Target> is a child of <Project> in your .pubxml):
(You may be able to leave <SkipAction> empty to Skip for all actions but I didn't test that and am not sure.
<Target Name="AddCustomSkipRules">
<Message Text="Adding Custom Skip Rules" />
<ItemGroup>
<MsDeploySkipRules Include="SkipConfigFolder">
<SkipAction>Delete</SkipAction>
<ObjectName>dirPath</ObjectName>
<AbsolutePath>$(_DestinationContentPath)\\Config</AbsolutePath>
<XPath>
</XPath>
</MsDeploySkipRules>
<MsDeploySkipRules Include="SkipPhotosFolder">
<SkipAction>Delete</SkipAction>
<ObjectName>dirPath</ObjectName>
<AbsolutePath>$(_DestinationContentPath)\\Photos</AbsolutePath>
<XPath>
</XPath>
</MsDeploySkipRules>
<MsDeploySkipRules Include="SkipWebConfig">
<SkipAction>Delete</SkipAction>
<ObjectName>filePath</ObjectName>
<AbsolutePath>$(_DestinationContentPath)\\Web\.config</AbsolutePath>
<XPath>
</XPath>
</MsDeploySkipRules>
<MsDeploySkipRules Include="SkipWebConfig">
<SkipAction>Delete</SkipAction>
<ObjectName>dirPath</ObjectName>
<AbsolutePath>$(_DestinationContentPath)\\Temp</AbsolutePath>
<XPath>
</XPath>
</MsDeploySkipRules>
</ItemGroup>
</Target>
And please, do not to forget to escape the . in a filePath Skip rule with a backslash.
If you can identify the files based on extension, you can configure this using the buildproviders tag in the web.config. Add the extension and map it to the ForceCopyBuildProvider. For example, to configure .xml files to be copied with a publish action, you would do the following:
<configuration>...
<system.web>...
<compilation>...
<buildProviders>
<remove extension=".xml" />
<add extension=".xml" type="System.Web.Compilation.ForceCopyBuildProvider" />
</buildProviders>
To keep a given file from being copied, you'd do the same thing but use System.Web.Compilation.IgnoreFileBuildProvider as the type.
I struggled with the same issue and finally pulled the trigger on converting the web site to a web application. Once I did this, I got all of the IDE benefits such as build action, and it compiled faster to boot (no more validating web site...).
Step 1: Convert your 'web site' to a 'web application'. To convert it I just created a new "web application", blew away all the files it created automatically, and copied and pasted my web site in. This worked fine. Note that report files will need to have their Build Action set to "Content" instead of "none".
Step 2: Now you can set any files "Build Action" property.
Hope this helps.
In Visual Studio 2013 I found Keith's answer, adding the ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment element to the project file, didn't work (I hadn't read Brian Ogden's answer which says this). However, I found I could exclude a text file when publishing in Visual Studio 2013 by just setting the following properties on the text file itself:
1) Build Action: None
2) Copy to Output Directory: Do not copy
Initially I tried setting the Copy to Output Directory property by itself but that didn't work when the Build Action was set to the default value, Content. When I then set the Build Action to None the text file was no longer copied to the destination folder when I published.
To view these properties in the Visual Studio GUI, in the Solution Explorer right-click on the file you want to exclude and select Properties from the context menu.
I think you only have two options here:
Use the 'Exclude From Project'
feature. This isn't ideal because the
project item will be excluded from
any integrated IDE source control operations.
You would need to click the 'Show All
Files' button on the Solution window
if you need to see the files in
Solution Explorer, but that also
shows files and folders you're not
interested in.
Use a post-build event script to
remove any project items you don't
want to be published (assuming you're
publishing to a local folder then
uploading to the server).
I've been through this before and couldn't come up with anything really elegant.
For Visual Studio 2017, WebApp Publish, first create a standard file system publish profile.
Go to the App_Data\PublishProfiles\ folder and edit the [profilename].pubxml file.
Add
<ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>[file1.ext];[file2.ext];[file(n).ext]</ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
under the tag<PropertyGroup>
You can only specify this tag once, otherwise it will only take the last one's values.
Example:
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<WebPublishMethod>FileSystem</WebPublishMethod>
<LastUsedBuildConfiguration>Release</LastUsedBuildConfiguration>
<LastUsedPlatform>Any CPU</LastUsedPlatform>
<SiteUrlToLaunchAfterPublish />
<LaunchSiteAfterPublish>True</LaunchSiteAfterPublish>
<ExcludeApp_Data>True</ExcludeApp_Data>
<publishUrl>C:\inetput\mysite</publishUrl>
<DeleteExistingFiles>False</DeleteExistingFiles>
<ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>web.config;mysite.sln;App_Code\DevClass.cs;</ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
</PropertyGroup>
</Project>
Make sure that the tag DeleteExistingFiles is set to False
As a contemporary answer, in Visual Studio 2017 with a .net core site:
You can exclude from publish like so in the csproj, where CopyToPublishDirectory is never.
<ItemGroup>
<Content Update="appsettings.json">
<CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
<CopyToPublishDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToPublishDirectory>
</Content>
<Content Update="appsettings.Local.json">
<CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
<CopyToPublishDirectory>Never</CopyToPublishDirectory>
</Content>
</ItemGroup>
This is discussed in more detail here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/host-and-deploy/visual-studio-publish-profiles?view=aspnetcore-2.2
<PropertyGroup>
<ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>appsettings.Local.json</ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
</PropertyGroup>
The earlier suggestions did not work for me, I'm guessing because visual studio is now using a different publishing mechanism underneath, I presume via the "dotnet publish" cli tool or equivalent underneath.
The feature you are looking exists if your project is created as a "Web Application". Web Site "projects" are just a collection of files that are thought of as 1:1 with what gets deployed to a web server.
In terms of functionality both are the same, however a web application compiles all source code to a DLL, instead of the naked source code files being copied to the web server and compiled as needed.
This is just an addendum to the other helpful answers here and something I've found useful...
Using wpp.targets to excluded files and folders
When you have multiple deployments for different environments then it's helpful to have just one common file where you can set all the excluded files and folders. You can do this by creating a *.wpp.targets file in the root of the project like the example below.
For more information see this Microsoft guide:
How to: Edit Deployment Settings in Publish Profile (.pubxml) Files and the .wpp.targets File in Visual Studio Web Projects
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<EnableMSDeployAppOffline>True</EnableMSDeployAppOffline>
<ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
*.config;
*.targets;
*.default;
</ExcludeFilesFromDeployment>
<ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
images;
videos;
uploads;
</ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
</PropertyGroup>
</Project>
In Visual Studio 2017 (15.9.3 in my case) the manipulation of the .csproj-File works fine indeed! No need to modify the pubxml.
You can then construct pretty nice settings in the .csproj-File using the PropertyGroup condition, e.g.:
<PropertyGroup Condition="$(Configuration.StartsWith('Pub_'))">
<ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>Samples</ExcludeFoldersFromDeployment>
</PropertyGroup>
excludes the "Samples" folder from all deployments with configurations starting with "Pub_"...
In Visual Studio 2022 I have successfully used this settings:
Go and edit the
[ProjectName] \ Properties \ PublishProfiles \ FolderProfile.pubxml file
in solution explorer.
Add these lines inside PropertyGroup
element:
<ItemGroup>
<Content Remove="Data\*.json" />
<None Include="Data\*.json" />
</ItemGroup>
Then save the .pubxml file and try to publish the project.
"Content Remove" will remove the file from the content to deploy.
"None Include" will keep the file in the solution explorer.
It's possible to set it up in the solution explorer for single files as well: right click the file in the solution explorer -> Properties and change the Build Action to None.