TFS 2012 Build: sln or csproj?

Question

Just wondering if there is a preference between sln or csproj files when building projects in TFS 2012. We typically build sln files in TFS to support our dev teams and that's usually the standard, but one team is asking why we can't build csproj files instead in TFS.

I noticed that to build a csproj file you have to provide arguments in the MSBuild Arguments field for a TFS build definition, and you do not have to provide these arguments when building a solution file. So other than this small detail I'm not sure what the pros and cons are between building an sln vs csproj.

Can someone please shed some light on the benefits, pros/cons of building a sln vs csproj in TFS, is there a common practice, a standard, or does it really matter?

Answer 1

Just wondering if there is a preference between sln or csproj files when building projects in TFS 2012. We typically build sln files in TFS to support our dev teams and that's usually the standard, but one team is asking why we can't build csproj files instead in TFS.

Why do they want to do this? Is there some sort of advantage articulated in this inquiry?

I noticed that to build a csproj file you have to provide arguments in the MSBuild Arguments field for a TFS build definition, and you do not have to provide these arguments when building a solution file. So other than this small detail I'm not sure what the pros and cons are between building an sln vs csproj.

A .sln is a master project that is converted to an msbuild script at runtime and will use a metadata file using the same schema as the .csproj projects in your solution.

To see what I'm talking about, open a command prompt, type "SET MSBUILDEMITSOLUTION=1" then "msbuild.exe solution.sln", then parse the new "solution.metaproj" and "solution.metaproj.tmp" files.

Can someone please shed some light on the benefits, pros/cons of building a sln vs csproj in TFS, is there a common practice, a standard, or does it really matter?

A .csproj would be a single project while a .sln would be a collection of projects. Building a single .csproj would yield the output binaries of that project (along with dependencies) and building the entire solution would yield the outputs of the entire solution.

Answer 2

I had the same question. Build times may be a bit slower but I haven't tested this myself (probably a negliable difference). I believe that when you build using the solution file it will automatically set 'BuildInParallel' to true.

Faster Buidls with MSBuild

Answer 3

I am currently working on the TFS 2012 deployment build. Based on what I experience, you don't have to provide MSBuild Arguments unless it is really required.

Lets take the following example: You have a solution with 2 projects,

Soln
> Web Proj 1
> Console Proj 2
> Dependency Library Folder

case 1: building a sln

a. In source settings, you have to mention only your solution folder. The MSBuild will automatically take care of any dependencies as they are within the solution.

b. In Process -> Items to build, you have to mention your solution file.

c. For example, if your solution has a web project, then the MSBuild output will be as shown below,

\\<build server> \d$\Builds\<Build Name>\<Build File Name>_20141210.6\_PublishedWebsites\<web proj>

Case 2: building a csproj

a. In source settings, you have to mention only your csproject folder and also the dependency folder path separately.

b. In Process -> Items to build, you have to mention your csproject file.

If you are looking for something more specific, please let us know.