How to simplify MSBuild-targets? - msbuild

Question

<Target Name="ProtobufCompile"
Inputs="#(ProtocCompile)"
Outputs="$(IntermediateOutputPath)$([System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Replace('%(ProtocCompile.RelativeDir)','\.\.[/\\]',''))%(ProtocCompile.Filename).cs">
<PropertyGroup>
<protooutdir>$(IntermediateOutputPath)$([System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Replace('%(ProtocCompile.RelativeDir)','\.\.[/\\]',''))</protooutdir>
</PropertyGroup>
<Message Text="%(ProtocCompile.Filename)%(ProtocCompile.Extension)" Importance="high" />
<MakeDir Directories="$(protooutdir)" />
<Exec Command="$(ProtobufCompiler) --protoc_dir=${PROTOBUF_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE}/.. --proto_path=%(ProtocCompile.RootDir)%(ProtocCompile.Directory) -output_directory=$(protooutdir) %(ProtocCompile.FullPath)" />
</Target>
<!-- set Intputs and Outputs -->
<Target Name="ProtobufCSharpCompile"
DependsOnTargets="ProtobufCompile">
<CreateItem Include="$(IntermediateOutputPath)$([System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Replace('%(ProtocCompile.RelativeDir)','\.\.[/\\]',''))%(ProtocCompile.Filename).cs">
<Output TaskParameter="Include" ItemName="Compile"/>
</CreateItem>
</Target>
<Target Name="ProtobufClean"
BeforeTargets="Clean">
<Delete Files="$(IntermediateOutputPath)$([System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Replace('%(ProtocCompile.RelativeDir)','\.\.[/\\]',''))%(ProtocCompile.Filename).cs" />
</Target>
This is the piece of target-file. How to simplify this code? How to reduce duplicating of string below?
$(IntermediateOutputPath)$([System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Replace('%(ProtocCompile.RelativeDir)','\.\.[/\\]',''))

Answer 1

Since you already specified a property for that value like so:
<PropertyGroup>
<protooutdir>$(IntermediateOutputPath)$([System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Replace('%(ProtocCompile.RelativeDir)','\.\.[/\\]',''))</protooutdir>
</PropertyGroup>
You can just replace references to that string with the property $(protooutdir) like so:
<CreateItem Include="$(protooutdir)%(ProtocCompile.Filename).cs">
and
<Delete Files="$(protooutdir)%(ProtocCompile.Filename).cs" />