One of my projects has Exec Copy command to copy a file from one directory to another. We are intermittently seeing an issue where one of the process is locking a file and MsBuild is trying to execute a copy command on the same file. So, we are facing the error that the file is in use by another process.
We are suspecting that this is because of two different elements executing in parallel. Unless the first one finishes we do not want the second one to execute. Can we have two values for AfterBuild attribute like below.
Below are the projects: Project1.proj and Project2.proj. I want to use the target defined in Project2 into Project1. Project1.proj has a reference added for Projet2.proj
Project1.proj
<Target Name="TestTarget" AfterTargets="Build;TestTargetAnother" > ..... ..... </Target>
Project2.proj
<Target Name="TestTargetAnother" AfterTargets="Build" > ..... ..... </Target>
We are suspecting that this is because of two different elements
executing in parallel. Unless the first one finishes we do not want
the second one to execute.
First, rename your two files as Project1.targets and Project2.targets.
The file with proj suffix cannot be used in other referenced files. Files with this suffix cannot transfer properties.
Modify Project1.targets like this:
<Project>
<PropertyGroup>
<Flag>false</Flag>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="TestTarget" AfterTargets="Build;TestTargetAnother" Condition="'$(Flag)'=='false'">
<Exec Command="xxxxxxxxxxx"/>
<PropertyGroup>
<Flag>true</Flag>
</PropertyGroup>
</Target>
<Import Project="Project2.targets"/>
</Project>
Then, modify Project2.targets like this:
<Project>
<Target Name="TestTargetAnother" AfterTargets="Build" Condition="'$(Flag)'=='false'">
<Exec Command="xxxxxxxx"/>
<PropertyGroup>
<Flag>true</Flag>
</PropertyGroup>
</Target>
</Project>
After that, reference Project1.targets into your xxx.csproj file:
<Import Project="Project1.targets" />
So it will execute one of them and cancel the other.
Related
I created a Source Generator to extend (partial) classes which fulfill certain criteria. To check and view the generated code I enabled the emission of these files by adding the following to my project:
<PropertyGroup>
<EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles>true</EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles>
<CompilerGeneratedFilesOutputPath>Generated</CompilerGeneratedFilesOutputPath>
</PropertyGroup>
This works as long as I don't do refactoring - like renaming a class. Because for every class a file is generated but not removed when I rename the "source" class.
So I added the following code to clean all generated files (on clean and rebuild)
<Target Name="CleanSourceGeneratedFiles" AfterTargets="Clean">
<RemoveDir Directories="Generated" />
</Target>
However then every second rebuild fails with:
Error CS2001 Source file 'xyz.generated.cs' could not be found.
So I'm looking for another way to keep my generated sources up to date, where the project not only compiles every second try.
Try this. It works for me.
<PropertyGroup>
<EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles>true</EmitCompilerGeneratedFiles>
<CompilerGeneratedFilesOutputPath>Generated</CompilerGeneratedFilesOutputPath>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="CleanSourceGeneratedFiles" BeforeTargets="BeforeBuild" DependsOnTargets="$(BeforeBuildDependsOn)">
<RemoveDir Directories="Generated" />
</Target>
<ItemGroup>
<Compile Remove="Generated\**" />
<Content Include="Generated\**" />
</ItemGroup>
We can define a target in a csproj file and then specify that target when we call msbuild from the command line. That looks like this:
my.csproj
<Target Name="CopyFiles">
<Copy
SourceFiles="#(MySourceFiles)"
DestinationFolder="c:\MyProject\Destination" />
</Target>
msbuild
msbuild my.csproj /t:CopyFiles
The CopyFiles targets asks msbuild to run the Copy task.
What if we don't want to edit the csproj file. How can we define a target just from the command line? Alternatively, using only the command line, how can we ask msbuild to run just one or maybe two tasks?
Pseudo-Code
msbuild my.csproj /t:"Copy SourceFiles=#(MySourceFiles) DestinationFolder=..."
Based on the MSBuild Command-Line Reference, this isn't possible exactly as you describe it, i.e. MSBuild will not take Target definitions from the command-line input. They have to be defined in a file somewhere.
But, you can have a script (maybe even a .bat?) that does something like:
Create a new, essentially empty, project file.
Import the .csproj, with <Import Project="foo.csproj" />
Add the targets
Call MSBuild with the new project file with the targets you want. Multiple targets can be specified by multiple /t: switches. Properties can be specified with /p:
The final, programmatically/script generated project file might look something like:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="12.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<Import Project="foo.csproj" />
<Target Name="CopyFiles">
<Copy
SourceFiles="#(MySourceFiles)"
DestinationFolder="$(Destination)" />
</Target>
</Project>
The actual MSBuild command called might then be:
msbuild temp.proj /t:CopyFiles /p:"Destination=c:\MyProject\Destination"
I'm having some trouble with a msbuild file.
I'd like the build to have three targets, executed in this order:
Cleanup: Cleans the output of a previous build
Build: The actual build
CopyFiles: A task that packages the output of the build for an easier deployment
Now the problem is: I want a property (ReleasePath) for the CopyFiles target to be explicitly set by the caller. Also, the caller shouldn't have to set the output path if only calling the Cleanup and Build tasks.
My first try has been:
<PropertyGroup>
<ReleasePath></ReleasePath>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="Initialize">
<Error Text="The ReleasePath property isn't defined" Condition="'$(ReleasePath)' == ''"/>
</Target>
<Target Name="CopyFiles" DependsOnTargets="Initialize">
</Target>
It works fine, but the Initialize target is executed right before CopyFiles, that is after Build. And the Buildtarget can take quite a long time to execute, so if something's wrong I'd like the user to be notified right away.
So basically, is there a way to run the Initialize target at the beginning, but only if CopyFiles is included in the targets?
I also thought of putting Initialize in the InitialTargets attribute of the project, then put a condition to execute this target only if CopyFiles is selected, but to my surprise I couldn't find a property containing the list of targets selected by the caller.
I think the easiest way to accomplish your goal would be to use a Property to toggle CopyFiles rather than the list of targets passed in. If you always add CopyFiles to the AfterBuild target but condition it on a property like "ShouldCopyFiles" then you could also conditionalize the DependsOnTargets of Build:
<PropertyGroup>
<ShouldCopyFiles Condition="'$(ShouldCopyFiles)'==''">false</ShouldCopyFiles>
<ReleasePath></ReleasePath>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup>
<BuildDependsOn>
BeforeBuild;
CoreBuild;
AfterBuild;
CopyFiles;
</BuildDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(ShouldCopyFiles)'=='true'">
<BeforeBuildDependsOn>
Initialize;
</BeforeBuildDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="Initialize" Condition="'$(ShouldCopyFiles)'=='true'">CheckStuff
</Target>
<Target Name="Build" DependsOnTargets="$(BuildDependsOn)"/>
<Target Name="CoreBuild">YourBuildStuff</Target>
<Target Name="BeforeBuild" DependsOnTargets="$(BeforeBuildDependsOn)"/>
<Target Name="AfterBuild" />
<Target Name="CopyFiles" Condition="'$(ShouldCopyFiles)'=='true'">
CopyStuff
</Target>
At this point you could call MSBuild like this:
msbuild my.proj /targets:Clean;Build /p:ShouldCopyFiles=true
and that would toggle it on.
I want to execute an msbuild project which uses batching to determine that one or more csproj projects have been freshly-built, and therefore require fresh nuget packaging. The script I've made so far seems like a reasonable start, but it the incremental-build mechanism isn't working. The MainBuild target executes every time, no matter what.
Here is what I have:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="MainBuild" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)'=='' ">Debug</Configuration>
<Content>content\plugins\</Content>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Nuspec Include="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\plugins\*\*.nuspec" />
</ItemGroup>
<Target Name="MainBuild"
Inputs="%(Nuspec.RootDir)%(Nuspec.Directory)bin\$(Configuration)\*.dll"
Outputs="%(Nuspec.RootDir)%(Nuspec.Directory)%(FileName).pkg" >
<ItemGroup>
<Inputs Include="%(Nuspec.RootDir)%(Nuspec.Directory)bin\$(Configuration)\*.dll" />
<Outputs Include="%(Nuspec.RootDir)%(Nuspec.Directory)%(FileName).pkg" />
</ItemGroup>
<Message Text="INPUTS: %(Inputs.FullPath)" />
<Message Text="OUTPUTS: #(Outputs->'%(FullPath)')" />
<Copy SourceFiles="#(Inputs)" DestinationFiles="#(Outputs->'%(FullPath)')" />
</Target>
</Project>
The Copy task is just a debugging placeholder for calling-out to nuget and creating a new package.
The idea is that if any files in the bin\Debug directory are newer than the corresponding .nuspec file (found two folders above bin\Debug), then the MainBuild target should execute.
Any ideas?
p.s. The Inputs and Outputs attributes of the Target presumably each create an item. I think it strange that the items created can't be referenced inside the target. In the above example, I had to make a target-interna dynamic ItemGroup to re-create the items, just so that I could access them. Is there a way around that?
I read this in the MSBuild Batching documentation
If a task inside of a target uses batching, MSBuild needs to determine
if the inputs and outputs for each batch of items is up-to-date.
Otherwise, the target is executed every time it is hit.
Which may be the cuprit. Try changing your copy target to use batching instead of an ite transform (I don't think using item metadata in an item group satisfies the above requirement).
<Target Name="MainBuild"
Inputs="%(Nuspec.RootDir)%(Nuspec.Directory)bin\$(Configuration)\*.dll"
Outputs="%(Nuspec.RootDir)%(Nuspec.Directory)%(FileName).pkg" >
<ItemGroup>
<Inputs Include="%(Nuspec.RootDir)%(Nuspec.Directory)bin\$(Configuration)\*.dll" />
<Outputs Include="%(Nuspec.RootDir)%(Nuspec.Directory)%(FileName).pkg" />
</ItemGroup>
<Message Text="INPUTS: %(Inputs.FullPath)" />
<Message Text="OUTPUTS: #(Outputs->'%(FullPath)')" />
<Copy SourceFiles="#(Inputs)" DestinationFiles="%(Outputs.FullPath)" />
</Target>
It looks like the number of inputs may be different than the number of outputs (I suspect there is more than one .dll files in the output directory for each project), which will also cause the target to execute.
I'd like to create a MSBuild project that reflects the project dependencies in a solution and wraps the VS projects inside reusable targets.
The problem I like solve doing this is to svn-export, build and deploy a specific assembly (and its dependencies) in an BizTalk application.
My question is: How can I make the targets for svn-exporting, building and deploying reusable and also reuse the wrapped projects when they are built for different dependencies?
I know it would be simpler to just build the solution and deploy only the assemblies needed but I'd like to reuse the targets as much as possible.
The parts
The project I like to deploy
<Project DefaultTargets="Deploy" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<ExportRoot Condition="'$(Export)'==''">Export</ExportRoot>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="Clean_Export">
<RemoveDir Directories="$(ExportRoot)\My.Project.Dir" />
</Target>
<Target Name="Export_MyProject">
<Exec Command="svn export svn://xxx/trunk/Biztalk2009/MyProject.btproj --force" WorkingDirectory="$(ExportRoot)" />
</Target>
<Target Name="Build_MyProject" DependsOnTargets="Export_MyProject">
<MSBuild Projects="$(ExportRoot)\My.Project.Dir\MyProject.btproj" Targets="Build" Properties="Configuration=Release"></MSBuild>
</Target>
<Target Name="Deploy_MyProject" DependsOnTargets="Build_MyProject">
<Exec Command="BTSTask AddResource -ApplicationName:CORE -Source:MyProject.dll" />
</Target>
</Project>
The projects it depends upon look almost exactly like this (other .btproj and .csproj).
Wow, this is a loaded question for a forum post. I wrote about 20 pages on creating reusable .targets files in my book, but I'll get you started here with the basics here. I believe that the key to creating reusable build scripts (i.e. .targets files) is three elements:
Place behavior (i.e. targets) into separate files
Place data (i.e. properties and items, these are called .proj files) into their own files
Extensibility
.targets files should validate assumptions
The idea is that you want to place all of your targets into separate files and then these files will be imported by the files which will be driving the build process. These are the files which contain the data. Since you import the .targets files you get all the targets as if they had been defined inline. There will be a silent contract between the .proj and .targets files. This contract is defined in properties and items which both use. This is what needs to be validated.
The idea here is not new. This pattern is followed by .csproj (and other projects generated by Visual Studio). If you take a look your .csproj file you will not find a single target, just properties and items. Then towards the bottom of the file it imports Microsoft.csharp.targets (may differ depending on project type). This project file (along with others that it imports) contains all the targets which actually perform the build.
So it's layed out like this:
SharedBuild.targets
MyProduct.proj
Where MyProdcut.proj might look like:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<!-- This uses a .targets file to off load performing the build -->
<PropertyGroup>
<Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)'=='' ">Release</Configuration>
<OutputPath Condition=" '$(OutputPath)'=='' ">$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\BuildArtifacts\bin\</OutputPath>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Projects Include="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\..\ClassLibrary1\ClassLibrary1.csproj"/>
<Projects Include="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\..\ClassLibrary2\ClassLibrary2.csproj"/>
<Projects Include="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\..\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3.csproj"/>
<Projects Include="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\..\WindowsFormsApplication1\WindowsFormsApplication1.csproj"/>
</ItemGroup>
<Import Project="SharedBuild.targets"/>
</Project>
And SharedBuild.targets might look like:
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<!-- This represents a re-usable build file -->
<Target Name="SharedBuild_Validate">
<!-- See http://sedodream.com/2009/06/30/ElementsOfReusableMSBuildScriptsValidation.aspx for more info
about this validation pattern
-->
<ItemGroup>
<_RequiredProperties Include ="Configuration">
<Value>$(Configuration)</Value>
</_RequiredProperties>
<_RequiredProperties Include ="OutputPath">
<Value>$(OutputPath)</Value>
</_RequiredProperties>
<_RequiredItems Include="Projects">
<RequiredValue>%(Projects.Identity)</RequiredValue>
<RequiredFilePath>%(Projects.Identity)</RequiredFilePath>
</_RequiredItems>
</ItemGroup>
<!-- Raise an error if any value in _RequiredProperties is missing -->
<Error Condition="'%(_RequiredProperties.Value)'==''"
Text="Missing required property [%(_RequiredProperties.Identity)]"/>
<!-- Raise an error if any value in _RequiredItems is empty -->
<Error Condition="'%(_RequiredItems.RequiredValue)'==''"
Text="Missing required item value [%(_RequiredItems.Identity)]" />
<!-- Validate any file/directory that should exist -->
<Error Condition="'%(_RequiredItems.RequiredFilePath)' != '' and !Exists('%(_RequiredItems.RequiredFilePath)')"
Text="Unable to find expeceted path [%(_RequiredItems.RequiredFilePath)] on item [%(_RequiredItems.Identity)]" />
</Target>
<PropertyGroup>
<BuildDependsOn>
SharedBuild_Validate;
BeforeBuild;
CoreBuild;
AfterBuild;
</BuildDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="Build" DependsOnTargets="$(BuildDependsOn)"/>
<Target Name="BeforeBuild"/>
<Target Name="AfterBuild"/>
<Target Name="CoreBuild">
<!-- Make sure output folder exists -->
<PropertyGroup>
<_FullOutputPath>$(OutputPath)$(Configuration)\</_FullOutputPath>
</PropertyGroup>
<MakeDir Directories="$(_FullOutputPath)"/>
<MSBuild Projects="#(Projects)"
BuildInParallel="true"
Properties="OutputPath=$(_FullOutputPath)"/>
</Target>
</Project>
Don't look too much at the SharedBuild_Validate target yet. I put that there for completeness but don't focus on it. You can find more info on that at my blog at http://sedodream.com/2009/06/30/ElementsOfReusableMSBuildScriptsValidation.aspx.
The important parts to notice are the extensibility points. Even though this is a very basic file, it has all the components of a reusable .targets file. You can customize it's behavior by passing in different properties and items to build. You can extend it's behavior by overriding a target (BeforeBuild, AfterBuild or even CoreBuild) and you can inject your own targets into the build with:
<Project ...>
...
<Import Project="SharedBuild.targets"/>
<PropertyGroup>
<BuildDependsOn>
$(BuildDependsOn);
CustomAfterBuild
</BuildDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>
<Target Name="CustomAfterBuild">
<!-- Insert stuff here -->
</Target>
</Project>
In your case I would create an SvnExport.targets file which uses the required properties:
SvnExportRoot
SvnUrl
SvnWorkingDirectory
You will use these properties to do the Export.
Then create another one for Biztalk build and deploy. You could split this up into 2 if necessary.
Then inside of your .proj file you just import both and setup the targets to build in the right order, and your off.
This is only really the beginning of creating reusable build elements, but this should get the wheels turning in your head. I am going to post all of this to my blog as well as download links for all files.
UPDATE:
Posted to blog at http://sedodream.com/2010/03/19/ReplacingSolutionFilesWithMSBuildFiles.aspx