When I use the option Publish... selecting as target the file system in Visual Studio 2015 it compiles the code, do the XML transformation in the Web.config files and copy the files to the folder I specified.
It does not copy any *.cs file as expected since it is compiled.
Something that I don't understand is why it publishes the Nuget Config file (packages.config), after all, the files needed are already in the bin folder.
I found this question that says how to avoid but not the reason they decided this file would be usable on the server.
Can I stop VS from publishing packages.config?
Anyone know why packages.config end up in the publish folder?
Related
I have a strange behavior with msbuild on my Azure Pipeline.
I'm using Azure Pipeline with Self-hosted Windows agents.
Configuration:
My Visual Studio .sln contains two C# projects:
WebService (Rest API)
Business layer
In addition, the Business layer has dependencies on 2 others projects.
Kernel.DataModel
Kernel.DataAccess
The Kernel.DataAcess layer is using the NuGet package "Microsoft.SqlServer.Types" (14.0.314.76)
The Reference "Microsoft.SqlServer.Types" in the project Kernel.DataAccess has "Copy Local = True". Therefore the DLL file should be copied in the output (release) directory.
The problem:
When I run the Azure Build pipeline, the file "Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll" is not copied in the "_PublishedWebsites" directory.
To convince myself, I decided to run the same Pipeline on another build machine by changing the Agent Pool. At my surprise the DLL was present in the "_PublishedWebsites" on the second build machine.
Furthermore, I decided to manually run the msbuild command on my local computer and the the DLL was also present in the "_PublishedWebsites...\bin" on my local machine.
Log files:
I also looked at log files on the Build machines and on my local computer.
First build machine -> The DLL file is simply not copied !
Second build machine -> The DLL file is copied from this location.
Copying file from "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\SDK\Assemblies\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll" to "F:\AgentLatestBuild\A1\_work\28\b\_PublishedWebsites\ApiProject\bin\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll".
Local machine ->
_CopyFilesMarkedCopyLocal:
Copying file from "C:\TFS\Repos\Src\Project\**packages**\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.14.0.314.76\lib\net40\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll" to "E:\tfs\build\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll".
Copying file from "E:\tfs\build\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll" to "E:\tfs\build\_PublishedWebsites\ApiProject\bin\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll".
As you can see:
On the second build machine, msbuild is not using the NuGet packages folder but it's using "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\140\SDK\Assemblies\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll"
On my local machine, the DLL is copied from the NuGet packages folder.
Here are my questions:
How msbuild.exe is selecting the source/location of the DLL ?
Is there a way to force msbuild to first use the NuGet packages instead of any others folders ?
I think msbuild should first look in the NuGet packages folder and if the DLL is not found, then it should try to find it from somewhere else. (C:\Program Files (x86), GAC, etc..)
Finally, do you have any idea why the "Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll" is not copied at all on the first build machine. The DLL is present in at least three locations. (ie: NuGet packages folder, C:\Program files\ and it is also in the GAC).
It looks like msbuild is lost in the dependency tracking and can't find the file or it won't copy it for some other reasons.
Thanks for your help.
Is it possible that your *.csproj is targetting the wrong HintPath?
Could you check if you have something like this:
<Reference Include="Microsoft.SqlServer.Types">
<HintPath>..\packages\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.YOURVERSION\lib\net40\Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll</HintPath>
</Reference>
thanks
I have a solution, which consists out of 2 projects: regular class library for .NET 4.5 + website (not web application) project.
When I build this solution with Visual Studio - all referenced assemblies from Nuget packages and local references are copied to bin folder of website project.
If I try to build solution with MsBuild - bin folder of website project does not receive any assemblies.
Website project is not selected to be built in VS configuration (which is reported by message in both cases)
Edit - here is additional explanation.
When I clone a project from git - bin folder of website contains only 4 assemblies already checked in:
If I will run msbuild command with /t:Build or /t:Rebuild and /p:Configuration=Release;Platform="Any CPU" - I'll receive just an output of postbuild event in my other project, included in solution:
However, if I execute build from VS (Ctrl + Shift + b) in Release/Debug config - bin have all required assemblies for running web application.
Edit 2: Link to example solution - https://github.com/akuryan/csharp-website-test
When one builds it with msbuild TestApp.sln /t:Rebuild /p:Configuration=Release;Platform="Any CPU" - this results in only Test.Core.* and LetsEncrypt.Umbraco.dll (initially checked in) found at ~\Test.Web\bin\ (where Test.Web is website project). If one builds TestApp.sln with VisualStudion 2015 (I suppose, 2013 and 2017 will be the same) - ~\Test.Web\bin\ gets whole amount of assemblies.
Different results with MsBuild and Visual Studio
That because the all dll.refresh file in bin folder alongside the binary file are ignored by .gitignore.
Since Web Site projects do not have any project file (.csproj) to put the assembly references, the *.dll.refresh files are used by MSBuild to understand the assembly references. The contents of the file is the relative path to the .dll via the packages folder for the solution. When you ignore all those .dll.refresh by .gitignore, MSBuild could not understand how to handle the dll files.
To test this, I created a website project, add a nuget package to it, then delete the dll files but keep the .dll.refresh files in the bin folder. Build the website project by MSBuild command line:
msbuild.exe TestWebsite.sln /t:Rebuild
After this command complete, the dll files are copy to the bin folder.
So build and package restore to work it looks like you need to keep the .dll.refresh files in the bin folder. You can remove the other binaries from your version control system.
Note: If you want to get those .dll.refresh back, you can use the command line in the Package Manager Console:
update-package -reinstall
Hope this helps.
I've got a Class Library project and a Console project. Inside the Class Library project there's a folder called "ConfigSettings" containing a configuration file that's referenced by the App.config file. Its "Copy to Output Directory" is set to "Copy Always".
The Console project references this Class Library project. When the console project is built, the ConfigSettings folder is created in the correct place along with the external config file. However, every time I Debug the Console project, the external config file is deleted. The ConfigSettings folder however is left untouched. If I mark the file as read-only it is not deleted, and warning appears in Visual Studio's Error List:
Warning Unable to delete file "C:\<path>\<app>\bin\Debug\ConfigSettings\settings.config". Access to the path 'C:\<path>\<app>\bin\Debug\ConfigSettings\settings.config' is denied.
Is there a setting I can change that will prevent VS from removing this file when I Debug the project? I am using Visual Studio 2015.
This might not be the best solution possible, but I found here, if you do a "Clean solution" just before executing your solution, the files will remain.
Using ClickOnce, is it possible to include a file (resource, dll, image, whatever) to be copied to a different location and NOT the app folder?
What I am trying to achieve exactly is to install Microsoft.Web.Publishing.Tasks.dll + Microsoft.Web.XmlTransform.dll and their .targets to C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v12.0\Web so those msbuild tasks can be used on workstations that do not have Visual Studio installed.
It was so easy using a Setup Project before VS 2013!!
I repeat: I do NOT want those files to be installed in the app folder (so please don't tell me to set the option Copy to Output = Always" on project files).
Thanks.
No. You can't do it with ClickOnce.
Either deploy the files and write code to copy files when your app starts. Or use some other deployment option, like msi.
I have some custom made XML files and a read me file that I've included in my project.
How do I make it so that these files are copied to my debug/release folders automatically when I build my project? I've tried setting the Copy to Output Directory property to "Copy Always" but this doesn't seem to do the trick.
I'm using VS2010
I've found the answer. The build action needs to be set to Content if you want to just directly copy the file to the output folder.