TFS 2010 build cannot handle custom MSBuild script which generate multiple files in multiple directories

1
votes

I have a custom MSBuild script (e.g. WpfResources.proj), in which I scan through multiple folders for *.resx files anc build .NET satellite resource dlls using the AL task. The output of this WpfResources.proj contain multiple *.resources.dll under different folders (corresponding to different projects which will need these resource dlls).

The example output folder structure is shown as following:

WpfResources

Bin
   Project1
      zh-CN
         Project1.resources.dll
      es-ES
         Project1.resources.dll

...

   Project2
      zh-CN
          Project2.resources.dll
      es-ES
          Project2.resources.dll

...

This WpfResources.proj can be built correctly by MSBuild.exe. However if I run it in TFS 2010 build (i.e. create a build definition and refers to the WpfResources.proj to build), it failed to copy all those resource dlls into the drop location. Actually it outputs nothing to the drop location even though on the actual build PC, the output is fine.

How can TFS 2010 build handle custom MSBuild scripts which output multiple files under multiple folders? Is there something missing in my WpfResources.proj which the Team build will consider as outputs of this MSBuild project?

1
visual-studio-2010msbuildtfsbuild

1 Answers

2
votes

On a build system, TFS handles the binary output directory and the copying of its output to a drop folder a bit special. It generates a central output directory for all output files.

I would imagine that your MSBuild project does output the standard way as if it were on a development system, with output bins under the project folder structure. TFS will not copy them to the drop folder, because by default, it only copies the binaries it produced under the central output folder.

For our systems, we solved the issue (that also goes for building VS Setup projects) but having a manual copy action embedded in the build template that copies the MSBuild output to either the centralized bin output folder, or directly towards the drop folder location.

For adding such a custom action, please see the fine TFS2010 customization blog of Ewald Hofman at: http://www.ewaldhofman.nl/post/2010/04/29/Customize-Team-Build-2010-e28093-Part-4-Create-your-own-activity.aspx.

Hope that helps.