Does appharbor always build solution using 'Release' build config? - appharbor

Does appharbor always build solution using 'Release' build config ? Can I make appharbor to build my apps using certain configuration, e.g. 'Release-for-appharbor' ?

AppHarbor always builds your code in Release configuration. You can find additional resources on how AppHarbor recommends you manage environments.
We'd love to have your suggestions on how to improve this, you can add feedback on the feedback forum.

To execute the build process locally in the same fashion as AppHarbor
From the Visual Studio Command Prompt
msbuild solution.sln /p:Configuration=Release /property:OutDir=C:\temp

Related

How to Automate Build and Deployment in Visual Studio TFS?

I am looking to automate Build and Deployment in Visual Studio T.F.S and going through this link for the same.
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vsts.ibm-websphere
It clearly says to install IBM Websphere Extension but i am not sure from where can i get it done?
If you are using the the old Xaml build system (TFS 2013 and earlier version), you can follow the steps mentioned in below link to build and deploy the project:
Automated Web Deployment and Team Build Using TFS 2013
If you are using vNext build (TFS 2015 and later version), you can use the CI/CD. Please see Continuous integration, test, and deployment tutorial and CI/CD Hello world for details.
You do not need websphere in order to automate builds, builds are created by a build server and placed in an output ( drop folder location ).
Deployment can be handed by creating post build scripts, there are a number of solutions for handling larger deployments but start with the basic build deployment workflow and scale from there.
See the following QuickStart to get an idea of build/deployment process.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/vsts/build-release/actions/ci-cd-part-1#create-a-release-definition

What is Manual Build?

Seems like a pretty obvious question but I haven't been able to find this anywhere online - but what exactly counts as building something manually? As in if I do Ctrl+Shift+B on Visual Studio is that manually building? Then how could I go from that to automated build (running it from command line?). All I know is that I am supposed to use MSBuild to do automated builds on a project that is currently built 'manually'.
What is Manual Build?
Whether you are using Visual Studio or MSBuild command to build is considered to be manual build. That because you need to build your project manually every time no matter you are using Visual Studio or MSBuild command. And the hot key Ctrl+Shift+B is a quick start mode to build project in Visual Studio.
If you want to automated build, you should consider 'continuous integration' For example, TFS(Team Foundation Server), Teamcity, etc. You can easily search those continuous integration info on the internet.
The biggest difference between manual build and automated build is that you should manually build your project every time when source code changes, but automated build will execute the build automatically by continuous integration tool when source code changes, no need to build your project manually.

How do I handle builds of Web Application Projects in VS 2012 without Web Deployment Projects?

My team uses Team City to do continuous builds and deployment of our Web Application Projects. In order to do a deployment build, we use Web Deployment Projects, which are not available in Visual Studio 2012. We aren't really using any of the advanced features of WDPs like .config transformations, but the main reason we use them is because when they build, they put only the necessary files for deployment into the build folder - in essence, removing all the .cs files and leaving only what's needed for "xcopy deployment". We then rsync the result to our test/prod environments.
So, my question is this: now that WDPs are no longer supported in Visual Studio 2012, how do I do an automated deployment build that pares down to only the files needed for deployment in VS2012?
Web Deployment Projects have been superseded by Publishing Profiles in VS2012.
They can do everything WDPs can do, with the added advantage of not needing to install additional software or create a separate .WDP project file.
Doug Rathbone has done a great blog post on migrating to Publishing Profiles from WDP:
http://www.diaryofaninja.com/blog/2012/08/26/visual-studio-2012-web-deployment-projects-are-dead-ndash-long-live-publishing-profiles
You should look into Octopus, it gives you all kind of deployment options. http://octopusdeploy.com/
Since .net 4.0 there is package and publish support in Web Application Projects out of the box. All you need is call msbuild /t:Package - it will do all the stuff.
I recommend to read this tutorial, there is everything you need. http://www.asp.net/web-forms/tutorials/deployment/deploying-web-applications-in-enterprise-scenarios/deploying-web-applications-in-enterprise-scenarios
We use Jenkins for our CI environment combined with SVN. In VS 2012 we check in code (using Ankh) to SVN and we configure Jenkins to poll SVN every 15 minutes:
Jenkins CI
Here's a post I wrote about setting up a CI server with IIS7 and Web Deploy 2.0:
Setup CI server with IIS7 and Web Deploy 2.0

How to avoid installing Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Team System Database Edition to be able to build DBPro projects on a centralized build server?

I have a DBPro (DataDude) project inside my solution to manage and version the database schema of my application. I use TeamCity 4.0 for continuous integration.
To be able to build a .dbproj, MSBuild tasks and their respective assemblies have to be installed, other .dbschema and .xsd dependencies put in place. The easiest solution is to install VS2008 TS: Database Edition on the build server.. something i'd love to avoid. I have started putting the files in place one by one bot got bored after the build failed on some missing XSD files installed by VSTSDB.
Has anyone found an easy way to avoid installing VSTSDB? A community-made 'redist' installer that puts the right files in the right place and the right assemblies into the GAC? The topic is pretty hard to google so I am hoping to tap the stack overflow knowledge base :)
I am aware of the Deploy folder and vsdbcmd.exe but I would like to build (and deploy).
No. Not according to this post by Gert Drapers
The question is if you are able to build the db using command line (like devenv.exe with some arguments)? If so I see no problem installing the dev environment and executing through a command line task in MSBuild on the build servers. I do the same thing for MSI installers in the projects I manage.

Best way to do Visual Studio post build deployment in a team environment?

I'm working in a team environment where each developer works from their local desktop and deploys to a virtual machine that they own on the network. What I'm trying to do is set up the Visual Studio solution so that when they build the solution each projects deployment is handled in the post-build event to that developers virtual machine.
What I'd really like to do is give ownership of those scripts to the individual developer as well so that they own their post build steps and they don't have to be the same for everyone.
A couple of questions:
Is a post build event the place to execute this type of deployment operation? If not what is the best place to do it?
What software, tools, or tutorials/blog posts are available to assist in developing an automatic deployment system that supports these scenarios?
Edit: MSBuild seems to be the way to go in this situation. Anyone use alternative technologies with any success?
Edit: If you are reading this question and wondering how to execute a different set of MSBuild tasks for each developer please see this question; Executing different set of MSBuild tasks for each user?
If you are using Visual Studio 2005 or later, project files are MSBUild files. Inside the MsBuild file, there is an "AfterBuild" target. I would recommend using this to do your deployment tasks, instead of the Post Build Event.
By using MSBuild tasks, you are more prepared to move into a Continuous Integration system like CruiseControl.NET, or Team City.
I'm not sure why all of your developers have their own virtual machines, it would seem at some point you'd want a central location where all developers work is built to ensure the code from all developers will integrate and build (this is a reason for using Continuous Integration systems). I'm sure you can find a way that CruiseControl.Net or Team City or one of several other choices can help you in this scenario. But as far as getting the initial setup, use MSBuild.
i'd look into MSBuild or ANT

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