Error: The element <ParameterGroup> beneath element <UsingTask> is unrecognized - visual-studio

I am receiving this error, when building the solution using the msbuild.
The element <ParameterGroup> beneath element <UsingTask> is
unrecognized.
The error is showing both in msbuild and in Visual Studio.

This is because one of your project is targeting .NET 3.5.
All of your projects should be targeted to .NET 4.0 at least.
If your .cs project does not allow to view or change the Target Framework, as it was in my situation: You will need to change it manually in .csproj.
Open the .csproj in notepad.
In this line
<Project ToolsVersion="3.5"...
change the ToolsVersion to at least 4.0.

Other possibility, is that you are using <UsingTask> inside a <Target> element.
You MUST declare it outside the <Target />.
Tested on 2017 and 2019.
The error is the following otherwise. (I would bet this is #Crono sees with Roslyn).
proj(2300,5): error MSB4067: L'élément "ParameterGroup" situé sous l'élément <UsingTask> n'est pas reconnu.

Just copy the config below and create a specflow.exe.config file
Put this config file next to your specflow.exe and you will be able to create the nunitexecutionreport report.
also can use this link https://github.com/techtalk/SpecFlow/wiki/Reporting
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
<startup>
<supportedRuntime version="v4.0.30319" />
</startup>
</configuration>

Related

Difficulty using <Import> to modularize a Visual Studio project file

I'm attempting to modularize a Visual Studio project file, but it's not working. This is for Visual Studio 2008 with .Net 3.5.
Shown below, the first example works, but the second one does not. How can I make it work..?
I'm new to this topic and probably missing something. I first became aware of it while reading a 3rd-party blog, and then found it in the documentation too. I've googled for more help, but there's too much information for me to find a relevant answer.
The main project file:
...
<!-- main project file -->
<Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.VisualBasic.targets" />
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
<Message Text="This is a message from the *.vbproj file."/> ... this works
</Target>
</Project>
...but if <Import> is used, with the same <Target> and <Message> in the imported file, it doesn't work. MSBuild seems to process everything correctly, but nothing happens...
The main project file:
...
<Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.VisualBasic.targets" />
<Import Project="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\CustomBuildEvents.targets" /> ... new tag
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
<Message Text="This is a message from the *.vbproj file."/> ... this still works
</Target>
</Project>
The imported targets file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
<Message Text="Hello from the imported file." Importance ="high"/> ... doesn't work
</Target>
</Project>
And the build output, with Verbosity set to Diagnostic:
### Halfway through the output, this is the only mention of the imported file. ###
None
CustomBuildEvents.targets ... custom file
My Project\Application.myapp
My Project\Settings.settings
### And then at the end, no mention of the imported file or its message. ###
Done building target "CoreBuild" in project "MsBuildCustomTargetTester.vbproj".
Target "AfterBuild" in file "C:\Visual Studio 2008\Solutions\MsBuildCustomTargetTester\MsBuildCustomTargetTester\MsBuildCustomTargetTester.vbproj":
Task "Message"
Hello from the *.vbproj file. ... message from main file
Done executing task "Message".
Done building target "AfterBuild" in project "MsBuildCustomTargetTester.vbproj".
Target "Build" in file "c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Microsoft.Common.targets":
Building target "Build" completely.
No input files were specified.
Done building target "Build" in project "MsBuildCustomTargetTester.vbproj".
Done building project "MsBuildCustomTargetTester.vbproj".
Project Performance Summary:
109 ms C:\Visual Studio 2008\Solutions\MsBuildCustomTargetTester\MsBuildCustomTargetTester\MsBuildCustomTargetTester.vbproj 1 calls
The problem with AfterBuild is that it can only be defined once. So if you import it and then later in the project file define it again, the last definition wins and becomes the only definition.
To solve this you need to use the more advanced way to register events. Given that you are using Visual Studio 2008 (WHY?!), you need to use the more advanced syntax for your custom targets files:
<Project>
<!--
Redefines the original build order, includes the standard targets and
adds your new custom target to the end of the list.
-->
<PropertyGroup>
<BuildDependsOn>
$(BuildDependsOn);
CustomTarget
</BuildDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>
<CustomTarget>
<!-- Imported after Build -->
<Message Text="Hello from the imported file." Importance ="high"/>
</CustomTarget>
</Project>
There are other ways to do this which were introduced in MsBuild 4 with the BeforeTargets and AfterTargets attributes on any target, but If I'm remembering correctly the above syntax should also work with the version of MsBuild that ships with Visual Studio 2008.
See also:
What is the difference between 'DependsOnTargets' and 'AfterTargets'?
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/msbuild/2006/02/10/how-to-add-custom-process-at-specific-points-during-build-method-2/

How to read content of text file in Wix Toolset Bootstrapper

I am using the WiX toolset to build an installer, I want to read the version from a text file. The text file is located in mybootstrapper like below:
below is the code where i want to read the content of text file
<Bundle IconSourceFile='product.ico'
Name="Retail Grip"
Version="Version.txt" <!-- i know this is not correct -->
Manufacturer="Company Name"
UpgradeCode="PUT-GUID-HERE">
Oh, it is a WiX bundle - and that's "Wax"? I hear it is a WiX tool of sorts? I am not sure exactly how it works (screenshot down the page in that link). Maybe there are restrictions on the use of compiler variables when using it?
I wrote the below before I saw that Wax file and I thought you had a normal WiX source and not a bundle source. Either way, let me add what I wrote and see if it helps. Similarities.
Also: Neil Sleightholm's WiX Burn Template (towards top). Give that link a spin first please.
In a regular WiX file you could use a pre-processor variable: $(var.CurrentVersion) (compiler variable). Something like this:
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">
<?define UpgradeCode="PUT-GUID-HERE"?>
<?define CurrentVersion="1.0.0.0"?>
<Product Id="*" Name="Sample" Language="1033" Version="$(var.CurrentVersion)"
Manufacturer="Someone" UpgradeCode="$(var.UpgradeCode)">
<...>
You can put the variables in its own "include file": Variables.wxi.
<Include>
<?define UpgradeCode="PUT-GUID-HERE"?>
<?define CurrentVersion="1.0.0.0"?>
</Include>
Larger sample here for this approach (do have a quick skim of this one).
And then include the file in your main WiX source:
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">
<?include Variables.wxi ?>
<Product Id="*" Name="Sample" Language="1033" Version="$(var.CurrentVersion)"
Manufacturer="Someone" UpgradeCode="$(var.UpgradeCode)">
<...>
There are also localization variables: WiX (Windows Installer Xml), Create universal variables - link time variable resolution (light.exe), as opposed to the compile time resolution of pre-processor variables (candle.exe). Some context.
Some Relevant Links:
Localization Variables in use: Wix toolset license agreement multi-languages issue
How to make Win64 attribute as a variable in wixlib?
https://helgeklein.com/blog/2014/09/real-world-example-wix-msi-application-installer/
With WiX Include files, you can keep simple values separate from the bulk of the WiX markup. With WiX preprocessing, you can define named substitution values used in attributes or text nodes or conditional compilation, and then refer to them as $(var.name).
-- Version.wxi --
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Include>
<?define Version="1.2.3" ?>
</Include>
-- Bundle.wxs --
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">
<?include "Version.wxi" ?>
<Bundle
Version="$(var.Version)"
…
It is sometimes convenient to generate include files in a source project in anticipation of them being used downstream, or generate them as the first steps of a WiX project.
I see you are using Visual Studio for your WiX Bootstrapper project. A Visual Studio project is a specialized MSBuild project (as are most types of Visual Studio projects). That means you can put general MSBuild things into the project file. You can open the .wixproj file as an XML file in an XML editor (such as Visual Studio).
MSBuild allows you define new tasks either from an external DLL or inline, using a .NET language. In this case, a few lines of C# will do fine to define the task. Then you would invoke it before the main build tasks. Like many build systems that use MSBuild, WiX ensures the target BeforeBuild is executed before it gets to work. So, you just have to define BeforeBuild.
The task is named CreateVersionWxi.
<UsingTask
TaskName="CreateVersionWxi"
TaskFactory="CodeTaskFactory"
AssemblyFile="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.Build.Tasks.v12.0.dll">
<ParameterGroup />
<Task>
<Reference Include="System.Xml" />
<Reference Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
<Using Namespace="System.Xml.Linq" />
<Code Type="Fragment" Language="cs"><![CDATA[
var version = File.ReadAllText("version.txt");
var wxi =
new XDocument(
new XComment("*** GENERATED FILE. DO NOT EDIT ***"),
new XElement("Include",
new XProcessingInstruction("define", "Version='" + version + "'")));
wxi.Save("version.wxi");
]]></Code>
</Task>
</UsingTask>
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
<CreateVersionWxi />
</Target>
Finally, if you add version.txt to your project with its Build Action, say, as Content, the project will be seen as needing to be rebuilt whenever version.txt changes. That will help if you have the WiX project open in Visual Studio while you are externally changing version.txt.
You don't need to add Version.wxi to your project but doing so increases its visibility to future maintainers.
Tip: Some Visual Studio users are more familiar with the Build Events on the project pages. To clue them in, you could enter this as a pre-build event command line: REM See the BeforeBuild target in the .wixproj file

Custom Build Rule fails after converting to VS2013

I need to integrate a legacy VS2008 project into my VS2013 solution. This project uses some custom build rules which initially worked after converting the .vcproj to a .vcxproj. However, when doing a fresh checkout of the project including the .vcxproj, the project file can no longer be opened.
I've tracked it down to this issue:
The project file references a couple of custom build rules like this:
<ImportGroup Label="ExtensionSettings">
<Import Project="..\..\..\tools\build\ms_mc.props" />
(8 similar lines follow)
</ImportGroup>
However, the ms_mc.props file is not present, but there is a ms_mc.rule file. If I convert the VS2008 solution with VS2013 (and assumably also if I opened it in VS2008, which I don't possess), the ms_mc.props file (plus a .targets and a .xml file) is created. However, if I delete that file and open the converted VS2013 project, the file does not get created.
I realized, in the old .vcproj, the corresponding lines are
<ToolFiles>
<ToolFile RelativePath="..\..\..\tools\build\ms_mc.rule" />
(8 similar lines follow)
</ToolFiles>
Why does VS2008 reference the .rule file and VS2013 imports the .props file without specifying the .rule file? And more importantly: How can I make this work again?
The .rule and .props file are added for reference
ms_mc.rule:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<VisualStudioToolFile
Name="MS MC"
Version="8,00"
>
<Rules>
<CustomBuildRule
Name="MS_MC"
DisplayName="Microsoft Message Catalogue Compiler"
CommandLine="mc [Verbose] [inputs] [RCIncludePath] [CIncludePath]"
Outputs="[$RCIncludePath]\$(InputName).rc;[$RCIncludePath]\$(InputName).h"
FileExtensions="*.mc"
ExecutionDescription="Compiling Message Catalogue $(InputName).mc"
>
<Properties>
<BooleanProperty
Name="Verbose"
DisplayName="Verbose"
Description="Gives verbose output. (-v)"
Switch="-v"
/>
<StringProperty
Name="RCIncludePath"
DisplayName="RC include file path"
Description="Gives the path of where to create the RC include file and the binary message resource files it includes. (-r [pathspec])"
Switch="-r [value]"
DefaultValue=".\"
/>
<StringProperty
Name="CIncludePath"
DisplayName="C include file path"
Description="Gives the path of where to create the include header file. (-h [pathspec])"
Switch="-h [value]"
DefaultValue=".\"
/>
</Properties>
</CustomBuildRule>
</Rules>
</VisualStudioToolFile>
ms_mc.props (after Conversion to VS2013):
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup
Condition="'$(MS_MCBeforeTargets)' == '' and '$(MS_MCAfterTargets)' == '' and '$(ConfigurationType)' != 'Makefile'">
<MS_MCBeforeTargets>Midl</MS_MCBeforeTargets>
<MS_MCAfterTargets>CustomBuild</MS_MCAfterTargets>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup>
<MS_MCDependsOn
Condition="'$(ConfigurationType)' != 'Makefile'">_SelectedFiles;$(MS_MCDependsOn)</MS_MCDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemDefinitionGroup>
<MS_MC>
<Verbose>False</Verbose>
<RCIncludePath>.\</RCIncludePath>
<CIncludePath>.\</CIncludePath>
<CommandLineTemplate>mc [Verbose] [inputs] [RCIncludePath] [CIncludePath]</CommandLineTemplate>
<Outputs>%(RCIncludePath)\%(Filename).rc;%(RCIncludePath)\%(Filename).h</Outputs>
<ExecutionDescription>Compiling Message Catalogue %(Filename).mc</ExecutionDescription>
</MS_MC>
</ItemDefinitionGroup>
</Project>
I found this blog post for VS2010 which states the following:
Custom build rule is a build feature introduced in VS2005. It provides the ability for the users to easily Plug-In third party tools to use in their build process. The custom build rule is defined by “.rules” files.
and more importantly
In VS2010, due to the migration to MSBuild, the information in the rules file is represented by three files: .XML, .props and .targets files.
This basically means that the .XML, .props and .targets files are in fact not created by VS2008; instead, they are a replacement of the old .rules file format since VS2010. Using this information, I can now safely check in those new files without breaking the VS2008 solution. I might have to adapt the new files manually in order to make them work as before, as also mentioned in the blog.

How do I use msbuild in Visual Studio's post build event?

I'm trying to configure the YUICompressor.NET in my Visual Studio project.
As I've understood, I have to create a .proj file and add it to my solution. After that, I need to create a post-build event that will build this .proj file and I'll get my desired output (minified js/css files).
So, I have:
This .proj contains:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/MsBuild/2003">
<UsingTask TaskName="CssCompressorTask" AssemblyFile="\..\packages\YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild.2.7.0.0\lib\NET20\Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.Build.MsBuild.dll" />
<UsingTask TaskName="JavaScriptCompressorTask" AssemblyFile="\..\packages\YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild.2.7.0.0\lib\NET20\Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.Build.MsBuild.dll" />
<Target Name="Minify">
<ItemGroup>
<!-- Single files, listed in order of dependency -->
<CssFiles Include="Content\*.css"/>
<JavaScriptFiles Include="Scripts\*.js"/>
</ItemGroup>
<CssCompressorTask
SourceFiles="#(CssFiles)"
OutputFile="Content\min.css"
/>
<JavaScriptCompressorTask
SourceFiles="#(JavaScriptFiles)"
OutputFile="Scripts\min.js"
/>
</Target>
</Project>
I'm trying to build it as the following:
I'm getting the following error:
The command "msbuild C:\Users\Me\Desktop\MvcApplicationExample\MvcApplicationExample\YuiCompressorMsBuild.proj" exited with code 9009.
This error suggests that "msbuild" is not a valid command. So, how should I build this type of project? (I've followed this tutorial: youtube)
Thanks for any help.
As you said maybe the visual studio cannot find the MSBuild command, try with the following command instead
"$(MSBuildBinPath)\msbuild.exe"
That uses the complete path to msbuild.
Update (For futures references)
As the comment by Steve Medley, you should not forget the encapsulating quotes.
vfabre is correct to use $(MSBuildBinPath)\msbuild.exe but missing one thing. you should encapsulate that in quotes as there will 99.99% of the time be a space in the file path to msbuild
Well, one thing that might be a problem is that you want it as a Post-build event but it's set for the Pre-build command line.

Visual Studio 2010: How to publish an ASP.NET web app to a target folder with MSBUILD?

In Visual Studio 2010, you know how you can change your configuration (debug, release, etc), right-click a project in the solution explorer, click publish, and have all the important web app project files for the selected configuration copied to a target folder along with an xdt-transformed web.config? Well, I am looking for the MSBUILD equivalent of exactly that.
My challenge to you: Provide the ONE LINE that I need to execute at my command prompt in order to accomplish this. No third party programs. No tutorial videos. Just a single, straight-up command that I can literally copy from your response, paste into a command window, modify as necessary to support my directory structure, and then hit enter.
If not, then perhaps someone could provide a link to a complete MSBUILD reference showing every command, switch, and value I can use at the command line.
Put the below to ProjectPublish.MSBuild.xml file (change PropertyGroup as needed):
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003" DefaultTargets="Publish">
<PropertyGroup>
<ProjectFile>Path\To\Web.csproj</ProjectFile>
<PublishDir>Path\For\Publish\Output</PublishDir>
<TempDir>Path\To\Temp\Folder</TempDir>
<BuildConfig>Release|Debug</BuildConfig>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="Publish">
<MSBuild Projects="$(ProjectFile)"
Properties="Configuration=$(BuildConfig);WebProjectOutputDir=$(PublishDir);OutDir=$(TempDir)\;BuildingProject=true"
Targets="ResolveReferences;_CopyWebApplication" />
</Target>
</Project>
Calling this from command line (or .bat file) should do the trick:
%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\MSBuild.exe ProjectPublish.MSBuild.xml
I found the solution I was looking for after all these months here
In case the above link goes bad, here's the skinny of what it says:
Unload then edit your project file. Look for the line where it's importing Microsoft.WebApplication.targets. Will look like:
<Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" />
Beneath that line, paste in this XML:
<Target Name="PublishToFileSystem" DependsOnTargets="PipelinePreDeployCopyAllFilesToOneFolder">
<Error Condition="'$(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>
Now, run this in a command prompt within the same folder as your project file:
msbuild TestWebApp.csproj "/p:Platform=AnyCPU;Configuration=Debug;PublishDestination=C:\pub" /t:PublishToFileSystem
Remember to specify the path to MSBUILD in the command or add the path to your global path environmental variable (which is what I did). On my machine, it was here:
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319
To test this, I put a config transform in my Web.Release.config to add an AppSetting key (if you do this, make sure the AppSettings node is present in your base config file or you will get an error). When I used the above command to build the debug configuration, the key was not present in the published config file as expected. However, when I used the release config, the key was successfully added to the file.
I really wish Microsoft hadn't obfuscated the heck out of this. At any rate, this is the simplest solution I have found anywhere on the internet. I hope it helps the rest of you.

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