This MSBuild starts to be a rally pain.
I got a project that reference a .dll, but the BuildServer don't find it and I get 'Could not resolve this reference. Could not locate the assembly'
So, my project reference this .dll as the one located in something like d:\common\DllPath\mydll.dll, and in the projectfile mycsproj.csproj it says HintPath.. \ .. \ .. \ .. \ .. \ ..\DllPath\mydll.dll
So, everything works just fine when I build it on my workstation, AND if I open it with VS2012 at the Build-server. (At the server, the paths is actually also D: \ but that's just a coincidence.)
But when I try to build it as a build definition it fails. It looks like it builds it at C:\Builds\43\Myapp, and I guess when the "SearchPath "{HintPathFromItem}" Considered ".. \ .. \ .. \ .. \ .. \ ..\DllPath\mydll.dll", but it didn't exist." is in the log it tries to find the .dll at c: folder.
How can I get it to point at the 'right' relative directory? For me it is the same partition as the project itself.
Is it in Build-definitions, or do I have to change something in the .csproj-file? (In the .csproj it is already a relative path, and I don't want to change that.)
You can make the location of your project the anchor and locate everything relative to MSBuildProjectDirectory.
The MSBuildProjectDirectory property is more extensively discussed in How can I get current directory in msbuild script?.
You can manipulate the xml in the csproj file.
See the first URL below.
How to add a linked file to a csproj file with MSBuild. (3.5 Framework)
FTP Credentials for MSBuild.ExtensionPack.Communication.Ftp
It's better to have thing consistent between your dev and build environment.
But most don't think about this until down the road.
So Xml-Update could be your friend to alter the HintPath.
See and click up Wolf5's answer to this question here.
The directory structure most likely has the project files one level lower than the working directory. This how my projects usually are. The solution is to add an extra HintPath in your project file with whatever path MsBuild needs. For example I have this in my projects:
<Reference Include="Blah.Namespace.Path.SomeReference, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
<SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
<HintPath Condition="Exists('..\..\..\..\..\Dir1\Dir2\Dir3\bin\Debug\SomeReference.dll')">..\..\..\..\..\Dir1\Dir2\Dir3\bin\Debug\SomeReference.dll</HintPath>
<HintPath Condition="Exists('..\..\..\..\Dir1\Dir2\Dir3\bin\Debug\SomeReference.dll')">..\..\..\..\Dir1\Dir2\Dir3\bin\Debug\SomeReference.dll</HintPath>
<Private>True</Private>
</Reference>
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 have tried searching the web for a solution to this problem but it seems very unclear. It sounds like people are seeing this but the solutions don't seem to work for me.
I have downloaded and installed YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild 2.3.0.0 from NuGet into my project.
I have created an MSBuild target file that closely resembles the example file included and exists as part of my .csproj file so I can run it in the AfterBuild step.
I am getting the following error everytime I try to build my VS project:
The "JavaScriptCompressorTask" task could not be loaded from the assembly SolutionDir\packages\YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild.2.3.0.0\lib\NET20\Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.Build.MsBuild.dll.
Could not load file or assembly 'Yahoo.Yui.Compressor, Version=2.3.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.
Confirm that the declaration is correct, that the assembly and all its dependencies are available, and that the task contains a public class that implements Microsoft.Build.Framework.ITask.
My folder structure is as follows:
\Solution
\packages
YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild.2.3.0.0\lib\NET20\
\build
ProjectFile.csproj
In the csproj I have:
<UsingTask TaskName="CssCompressorTask" AssemblyFile="packages\YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild.2.3.0.0\lib\NET20\Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.Build.MsBuild.dll" />
<UsingTask TaskName="JavaScriptCompressorTask" AssemblyFile="packages\YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild.2.3.0.0\lib\NET20\Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.Build.MsBuild.dll" />
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
<ItemGroup>
<JavaScriptFiles Include="someFile.js" />
</ItemGroup>
<JavaScriptCompressorTask SourceFiles="#(JavaScriptFiles)" OutputFile="build\combined.js" DeleteSourceFiles="false" CompressionType="None" ObfuscateJavaScript="false" PreserveAllSemicolons="true" />
<JavaScriptCompressorTask SourceFiles="#(JavaScriptFiles)" OutputFile="build\combined.min.js" DeleteSourceFiles="false" CompressionType="Standard" />
</Target>
Am I missing something? Can anyone help me? Thank you.
Did you try to download version 2.3.0.0 directly from codeplex? Then make sure that the Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.Build.MsBuild.dll and Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.dll reside in the same directory. Like this I was able to make it work.
It's been a while since i've played around with the AfterBuild .. but how this works is that the the msbuild program is ran from some directory .. and therefore looks for those assembly files RELATIVE to where the msbuild is being executed from.
I'm not sure if this means the msbuild is being run from C:\program files(x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\<whatever...>
TAKE NOTE: it's the folder/path (aka execution path) where visual studio is running the msbuild command from ... NOT where msbuild exists.
So therefore, it can't find the assemblies.
Try putting in the full path to the assemblies (just to see if that works).
eg. C:\Projects\Solution\packages\YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild.2.3.0.0\lib\NET20\Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.Build.MsBuild.dll
If it's running it from the \solution\bin directory, then you're in luck! cause then you can do ..\packages\YUICompressor.NET.MSBuild.2.3.0.0\lib\NET20\Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.Build.MsBuild.dll' (the..means: from thisbindirectory, go up one level tosolutionthen down intopackagesand then down intoYUIComp`... etc.
So the answer to your question is this: Find the location Visual Studio is running the msbuild command from, during an AfterBuild. Maybe put in some code in there to say 'write to file => current path i'm in :P'
Attempting to build a C# project which has numerous references to assemblies in NuGet packages fails in TeamCity but works fine in Visual Studio.
Found in the log;
For SearchPath "{HintPathFromItem}".
[13:48:15][ResolveAssemblyReference]
Considered "..\packages\AspNetMvc.4.0.20126.16343\lib\net40\System.Web.Mvc.dll", but it didn't exist.
The reference in the project file is;
<Reference Include="System.Web.Mvc, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
<Private>True</Private>
<HintPath>..\packages\AspNetMvc.4.0.20126.16343\lib\net40\System.Web.Mvc.dll</HintPath>
</Reference>
Any ideas? It seems like it's not starting from the correct directory so can't resolve "../packages" which exists one level above the .csproj file.
I know this has been answered, but maybe someone else has had the same problem I did.
My hint paths in my project file were incorrectly pointing to packages and changing it to ..packages fixed it for me.
So changing it from this:
<Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json">
<HintPath>packages\Newtonsoft.Json.5.0.5\lib\net40\Newtonsoft.Json.dll</HintPath>
</Reference>
To this:
<Reference Include="Newtonsoft.Json">
<HintPath>..\packages\Newtonsoft.Json.5.0.5\lib\net40\Newtonsoft.Json.dll</HintPath>
</Reference>
Fixed it.
I had restructured my projects since installing the NuGet packages so even though '../packages' was correct for the main project, it wasn't for the other projects which had been moved.
Uninstalling and re-installing the NuGet packages writes the paths correctly or more straightforward, doing a find and replace on the paths in each .csproj file.
My understanding at this point is based on the information here: http://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/TW-20525
But I am just diving into both TeamCity and NuGet at the same time (coming from CruiseControl.NET)
So what I did for the time being is to add a "NuGet Installer" build step before my vs.net solution build step and everything worked great.
You either need to add the packages directory to source control or enable nuget to automatically download packages (its a feature in the right click menu of nuget 1.6)
See http://docs.nuget.org/docs/workflows/using-nuget-without-committing-packages
Sorry for resurrecting this old post, but in addition to the above excellent points (Tjaart, SeeNoWeevil, Luke), you might also want to check the property CopyLocal=true for the references that you nuget'ed down.
For myself, this has often been the one tiny oversight that leads to exactly the error that the OP was mentioning.
You can highlight the file in Solution Explorer and got to Properties, and verify that Copy to Output Directory is set to True
Ensure that the .dll and .pdb files are included in source control (or have been downloaded).
For TFS (not TeamCity), by default, .pdb files and .dll files are excluded. So double-check that all files for each package sub-directory have been included, not just the nuget .xml file.
Background: I came to this question with the same thought as some other posters - that the relative reference in the .csproj file might be incorrect. After using a path in the .csproj file to ensure that the reference was absolute with regards to the project...
<HintPath>$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\..\.nuget\packages\Common.Logging.Core.3.0.0\lib\net40\Common.Logging.Core.dll</HintPath>
..only to get the same error, I double-checked that the required files existed. I also did an MSBuild build on my local machine (as opposed to Visual Studio build), and it worked. Further investigation on the build server revealed that the specified files did not exist, even though the directory, and .nuget package .xml files did.
Note: I'm using Mercurial as an example here, because that's what I'm trying to get to work with MSBuild right now.
But the problem is not limited to Mercurial, it happens with every external program that is somewhere in my %PATH% variable (I tried the same with PowerShell, for example).
So I didn't put the Mercurial tag on this question on purpose, because this is not about Mercurial!
What I actually want to do:
I want my build script to get the current revision number from my Mercurial repository and store it in a file.
The simplest way to do this from the command line is:
hg id -i >rev.txt
Mercurial is installed on my machine and the installation folder is in my %PATH% variable.
So I can run this line from anywhere on my machine (directly from the command line, or from a batch file), and it just works.
The problem occurs when I try to run this line from my build script.
I change the BeforeBuild (or AfterBuild) section of my .csproj file as follows:
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
<Exec Command="hg id -i >rev.txt"/>
</Target>
When I compile my solution with Visual Studio, it works and the rev.txt file is created in the folder where my .csproj is.
But when I compile the exact same solution from the command line with MSBuild, the build fails with the following error message:
The command "hg id -i >rev.txt" exited with code 9009.
I googled "msbuild code 9009" and found some solutions, but all of them propose to provide the full path to the executable.
When I do this, the build succeeds with MSBuild as well.
But this is not an acceptable solution for me, because I can't be sure that everyone using my project (including the build server) has installed Mercurial in the exact same folder.
That's exactly what %PATH% is for...
The same happens when I put the <Exec Command="... line directly into the build script.
If I specify the path to the executable, it works.
If I don't specify the path, it doesn't.
Is there any trick to make MSBuild execute programs in my %PATH% variable without specifying the complete folder?
EDIT:
#leppie:
Output redirection:
You mean the fact that I save the output of my command in a text file inside the command , instead of just running hg id -i as a command and using an output parameter or something like that to get the output?
Doesn't make any difference...the error is the same when I omit >rev.txt.
Command line args:
No, it throws the same error, even if I shorten the command to just hg (without any parameters).
Don't forget: if I run the exact same Exec command in the exact same .csproj file from Visual Studio, or if I just provide the path to the .exe file in the command, everything works.
So IMO output redirection and command line args can't be the problem.
Have you tried this extension pack for mercurial/msbuild?
http://msbuildhg.codeplex.com/documentation
Seems to have a task for returning revision id, which is what your trying to achieve no?
<HgVersion LocalPath="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)" Timeout="5000">
<Output TaskParameter="Revision" PropertyName="AssemblyRevision" />
</HgVersion>
Okay, I found the solution.
I have to admit, it was a classic case of PEBKAC :-)
I'll explain it anyway, maybe it will help someone who made the same mistake:
Basically everything I have tried (plus what James Woolfenden suggested in his answer) would have been worked...if only the batch file that I use to run the build script wouldn't have looked like this:
path="%windir%\Microsoft.net\Framework\v4.0.30319"
msbuild build.proj
Yes, exactly.
I'm editing the %PATH% variable for the duration of this batch file, and I'm overwriting it with the path to MSBuild instead of just appending it.
So when my build script tries to call Mercurial, it can't find it anymore because its location is not in the %PATH% variable anymore.
No idea why I didn't see this before.
The correct way would be to append the MSBuild path, leaving the other paths intact:
path=%path%;%windir%\Microsoft.net\Framework\v4.0.30319