I specified the OutputPath for MsBuild.exe but it doesn't recognize.Build Succeeded but there are no files in c:/TEST folder. Could you please let me know if I am missing something? Where does the release files store by default?
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319>MsBuild.exe "c:\TFS\WebApps.sln" /t:publish /p:Configuration=Release /p:OutputPath=c:\TEST
Have you tried using OutDir instead of OutputPath? This is a comment from the Microsoft.Common.targets file:
OutDir:
Indicates the final output location for the project or solution. When building a solution,
OutDir can be used to gather multiple project outputs in one location. In addition,
OutDir is included in AssemblySearchPaths used for resolving references.
OutputPath:
This property is usually specified in the project file and is used to initialize OutDir.
OutDir and OutputPath are distinguished for legacy reasons, and OutDir should be used if at all possible.
Are you executing that command under c:\TFS?
My guess is to look at the console output to find out where it's placing files under C:\TFS first.
Then try including this in your command:
/fl3 /flp3:Verbosity=diag;logfile=msbuild.log
Then open the log in your favorite text editor and investigate away!
Related
I am trying to ensure that the .dll.config file generated in a reference project is pulled into the parent project's /bin directory during a build. I've read here and here about using the AllowedReferenceReleatedFileExtension setting in the parent project's .vbproj file, but I'm getting a warning:
The element 'PropertyGroup' in namespace 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003' has invalid child element 'AllowedReferenceRelatedFileExtensions' in namespace 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003'
the property group I added to the end of the .vbproj file looks like this:
<PropertyGroup>
<AllowedReferenceRelatedFileExtensions>
.pdb
.xml
.dll.config
</AllowedReferenceRelatedFileExtensions>
</PropertyGroup>
I'm a little out of my depth with .net builds, so I'm not sure where to start trying to resolve this warning. There are a few other similar warnings in the .vbproj file that don't seem to be causing any problems, but running the build after I added this section didn't actually copy the reference project's .dll.config file over.
Any ideas?
According to this answer (which worked for me), it seems you need to add a semi colon after each extension.
Not sure if that is mandatory
Set the build output verbosity to Detailed and see where the dependencies are being copied from. It is possible that your target dll is referenced indirectly from multiple projects and it is being copied from the project that does not have the AllowedReferenceRelatedFileExtensions set.
In the build output search for:
Dependency "your target dll"
Resolved file path is "path where the target dll is being copied from"
P.S.: "Target dll" means the dll whose .dll.config is required to be copied to the referencing project's output folder.
Did you try to use MSBuild instead of add tags manually?
MSBuild.exe MyProject.csproj /t:build "/p:AllowedReferenceRelatedFileExtensions=.pdb;.xml;.dll.config"
I have a solution file (MySolution.sln) with a single project in it (MyProject.vcxproj). I would like to execute a custom target (MyCustomTarget) on my project through the solution. It would look something like this:
msbuild MySolution.sln /t:MyCustomTarget
When I execute the command, I'll get an error message:
MySolution.sln.metaproj : error MSB4057: The target "MyCustomTarget" does not exist in the project. [MySolution.sln]
You can replace MyCustomTarget with any standard targets from Microsoft.Cpp.Win32.targets (e.g.: ClCompile, Link) or any other target of your choice you include from .targets files in MyProject.vcxproj. None of them would work.
When the environment variable msbuildemitsolution is set to 1, I can inspect the generated MySolution.sln.metaproj file. At the bottom 4 targets are specified: Build, Rebuild, Clean, and Publish. Using these targets instead of MyCustomTarget, the project builds ok. Also, if I specify the project file instead of the solution file, it builds too:
msbuild MyProject.vcxproj /t:MyCustomTarget
But using this format, I will lose the OutDir property, manually have to set the Configuration and Platform, so I just lose the benefits of having a solution file.
Is there any way I can use my custom target with the solution file I originally intended?
As far as I understand the problem is that msbuild generates this intermediate project file (mysolution.sln.metproj) but that will won have the imports from MyProject.vcxproj, including the .targets files. No wonder MyCustomTarget is not recognized.
My current workaround is using the project file with msbuild and trying not to miss anything from the solution file:
msbuild MyProject.vcxproj /t:MyCustomTarget /p:Configuration=MyConfig;Platform=MyPlatform;OutDir=MySolution\Platform_MyConfig\
But this is not a proper solution, inflexible, prone to error and does not automatically adapt changes in the solution file.
MSBuild 15 now raises custom targets automatically into the solution metaproj so your initial approach of running the target directly on the solution is now supposed to work.
I think you already answered your question. The answer is NO. There is no target called "MyCustomTarget" inside the .sln.metaproj file, so MSBuild gives you that error message.
Now, to resolve your problem with passing extra parameters on command line. Passing platform and configuration won't be required, if you set defaults in your .vcxproj file. Add this somewhere in your project file, before any of the standard target files are imported:
<Platform Condition="'$(Platform)'==''">MyPlatform</Platform>
<Configuration Condition="'$(Configuration)'==''">MyConfiguration</Configuration>
Configuring OutDir, which is shared across all projects in solution can be done like this. I will assume your solution is structured so that .sln file is in root folder, and all projects are in sub-folders (arbitrarily deep) under the root, or in the same folder as the solution. If this is not the case, you will have to tweak the code a little to adjust to your situation.
Right after you defined Platform and Configuration in your project, add this property group:
<PropertyGroup>
<RootFolder>$([MSBuild]::GetDirectoryNameOfFileAbove($(MSBuildThisFileDirectory),MySolutionName.sln))</RootFolder>
<OutDir Condition="'$(OutDir)'==''">$(RootFolder)\$(Platform)_$(Configuration)</OutDir>
</PropertyGroup>
The code above follows your convention of setting OutDir to MySolution\MyPlatform_MyConfiguration.
The downside of all this approach is that you have to manually modify all projects in your solution. However it will give you lots of flexibility in the future. For example, any common settings shared across all projects, could be extracted into single .props file that you can <Import> into every project, so changes to configuration could be done in one place.
In order to use the custom target that exists in your project file while building using the solution file, use the following format:
msbuild MySolution.sln /t:MyProject:MyCustomTarget
Note that if the project is in a sub folder (solution folder) you need to add the folder name:
msbuild MySolution.sln /t:src\MyProject:MyCustomTarget
and if the project name contains spaces or dots they are replaced with underscores.
I know that I can pass MSBuild a VS solution file (.sln) and it will build the solution but somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember using a MSBuild command line switch that would take a solution file (and it's referenced project files) and generate a single MSBuild project file from them. However, I now can't find this switch!
Was this all a dream?
I see the /preprocess switch (short form /pp) but I don't think that this was it as this will include all of the imported files (including Microsoft.*.targets) and besides I can't seem to get this switch to work. I when I try the following command line, MSbuild generates the *.out file but its empty!
msbuild /target:rebuild /generate MSBuildCopyTargets.sln
The easiest way to do this is to run MSBuild from the command line, with an environment variable set:
Set MSBuildEmitSolution=1
The output will be in the format SolutionName.metaproj
I have had my first successful build using CC.Net + MSBuild on legacy project. Only took 8 hours.
My newb question is: Where is the output?
My ArtifactDirectory is empty. Where did everything go?
Did you specify the ThoughtWorks.CruiseControl.MSBuild.dll logger in the msbuild-task? Did you have the xmllogger publisher?
EDIT:
What are you looking for : the results/logs that goes into the dashboard and mail or the website/dll/program you built?
Could you post your project configuration?
EDIT2:
The website/dll you built are located in the outDir you specified in your msbuild task. If you didn't override either the OutDir or the OutputPath property (in your msbuild task or msbuild build script) your website should be located in the WebProject\bin\Release (or Debug)_PublishedWebsites and your dlls should be located in every Project_dir\bin\Release (or Debug).
If you want a common output you need to specify it by overriding OutputPath or BaseOutputPath (see here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb629394.aspx ).
If your source projects don't compile to custom folders, the code will be located wherever the source was pulled down to on the build box. As Benjamin stated, this will be the workingDirectory specified in the msbuild task.
If you didn't specify a working directory, I believe CruiseControl.net puts code in:
C:\Program Files\CruiseControl.NET\server\[Project Name]\WorkingDirectory
I want MSBuild to build WIX 3.5 project containing static files and binaries from another project's output folder. While with static files it all works just fine: I just set Source attribute of File element to "..\AnotherProject\Static\StaticFile.ext", I can't reference binaries, because they aren't in "..\AnotherProject\bin\Release\" folder, they're in MSBuild output folder which I don't know how to reference.
The only way to do so is set some variable in .wixproj file in for Release build configuration and then use it, but it seems wrong. What do I miss?
You want "bind paths". The documentation isn't great about this but you can specify BindInputPaths on the Light MSBuild Task. Any File/#Source or #SourceFile that starts with "SourceDir\" or is a relative path (doesn't start with an "X:\" or "\") will be searched in those bind paths. You can use MSBuild variables to get the BindInputPaths set correctly.
Tried $(var.Web.TargetDir) - working.