TFS build server 2015 - Incorrect transform web.config

Question

I have a problem with the 'visual studio build'-task on a TFS 2015 build server. When I build my project on the buildserver it doesn't publish the transformed web.config to the correct folder. I have two web.configs --> web(base).Debug.config and web(base).Release.config.

In the following folder I expect the transformed web.config: : ...\TFS2015BuildAgent\work{tasknummer}\a_PublishedWebsites{backend solution}\web.config However the transformed web.config is in the following folder: ...\TFS2015BuildAgent\work{tasknummer}\a_PublishedWebsites\web.config

The solution.csproj -file has the following lines:

...
...
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU'">
    <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
    <DebugType>full</DebugType>
    <Optimize>false</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\</OutputPath>
    <DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants>
    <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
    <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>  
    <PlatformTarget>AnyCPU</PlatformTarget>
    <Prefer32Bit>false</Prefer32Bit>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU'">
    <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
    <Optimize>true</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\</OutputPath>
    <DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
    <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
    <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
    <PlatformTarget>AnyCPU</PlatformTarget>
    <Prefer32Bit>false</Prefer32Bit>
  </PropertyGroup>
...
...
...

  <Target Name="PostTransformAppConfig" AfterTargets="Build">
    <CallTarget Targets="TransformWebConfig" />
    <Copy Condition="Exists('$(TransformWebConfigIntermediateLocation)\transformed\webbase.config')" SourceFiles="$(TransformWebConfigIntermediateLocation)\transformed\webbase.config" DestinationFiles="Web.config" />
    <Copy Condition="Exists('$(TransformWebConfigIntermediateLocation)\transformed\webbase.config')" SourceFiles="$(TransformWebConfigIntermediateLocation)\transformed\webbase.config" DestinationFiles="$(OutDir)\Web.config" />
    <Copy Condition="Exists('$(TransformWebConfigIntermediateLocation)\transformed\webbase.config')" SourceFiles="$(TransformWebConfigIntermediateLocation)\transformed\webbase.config" DestinationFiles="$(OutDir)\_PublishedWebsites\$(AssemblyName)\Web.config" />
  </Target>
...
...
...

  <Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
  <Import Project="$(VSToolsPath)\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" Condition="'$(VSToolsPath)' != ''" />
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\Web\Microsoft.Web.Publishing.targets" Condition="false" />
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" Condition="false" />
  <PropertyGroup>
    <PreBuildEvent>attrib -R "$(ProjectDir)Web.config"</PreBuildEvent>
  </PropertyGroup>

Below the specs of the Visual Studio Build task on the TFS server:

visual studio version: Visual Studio 2017
MSBuild Arguments: /p:OutDir=$(build.stagingDirectory) /p:SkipInvalidConfigurations=true /p:AllowedReferenceRelatedFileExtensions=none /p:DeployOnBuild=true
Platform: any cpu
Configuration: release
Clean: true
MSBuild Architecture: MSBuild x86

When I build my project (local) in VS 2017, the web.config is correctly transformed. Also when publishing it local, the web.config is correctly transformed according de Debug or Release config.

However I have created multiple build defenitions for other projects on this TFS server, including transforming the web.config. On all other project the web.config files are transformed correctly/as expected....

So I am probably missing something.... but what?

Stephan Van Den Hoogen Stephan Van Den Hoogen · Accepted Answer · 2018-08-21T11:42:40

After some hours of searching, the problem was that the $(AssemblyName) was wrongly defined, therefore the configuration file was copied to an incorrect folder.

Probably no problems with local build/publishing, but it goes wrong on the buildserver when there is an incorrect AssemblyName.

TFS build server 2015 - Incorrect transform web.config

1 Answers