Check-out files during build

Question

Hi

I am trying to use the TFSBuild.proj example documented in this blog entry by Gautam Goenka here: http://blogs.msdn.com/gautamg/archive/2006/01/04/509146.aspx

I have installed the required MSBuild Extension pack and I am trying to use the MSBuild.ExtensionPack.VersionNumber.targets to get Team Build to update the AssemblyInfo.cs files. Unfortunately, I am getting the following error on the checkout part:

error MSB3073: The command ""D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\..\tf.exe" checkout /recursive AssemblyInfo.cs" exited with code 1.

It appears that the files' full path is needed. But when I hard coded the path into the build definition I got another saying that the Workspace does not exist! Also, AssemblyInfoFiles his defined but not used - so I tried to use that instead of  
AssemblyInfoSpec and still did not get anywhere.

I have spent three days on this (my first time with Team Build and MSBuild) and I am not getting anywhere. Can anyone spot what I am doing wrong please?


My TFSBuild.proj looks like (showing relevant bits only):

<

 

Import Project="C:\Program Files\MSBuild\ExtensionPack\MSBuild.ExtensionPack.VersionNumber.targets" />

<

 

PropertyGroup>
   <!-- Assembly version properties. Add others here -->
   <AssemblyMajorVersion>9</AssemblyMajorVersion>
   <AssemblyFileMajorVersion>9</AssemblyFileMajorVersion>

   <!--

 

TF.exe -->
   <TF>&quot;$(TeamBuildRefPath)\..\tf.exe&quot;</TF>

   <!--

 

AssemblyInfo file spec -->
   <AssemblyInfoSpec>AssemblyInfo.cs</AssemblyInfoSpec>

</PropertyGroup>

<!--

 

Set this to non-existent file to force rebuild. -->
<ItemGroup>
   <IntermediateAssembly Include="$(SolutionRoot)\foobar.dll"/>
</ItemGroup>

<

 

Target Name="AfterGet" Condition="'$(IsDesktopBuild)'!='true'">
    <!-- Set the AssemblyInfoFiles items dynamically -->
    <CreateItem Include="$(SolutionRoot)\**\$(AssemblyInfoSpec)">
         <Output ItemName="AssemblyInfoFiles" TaskParameter="Include" />
    </CreateItem>

    <

 

Message Text="AssemblyInfoSpec = $(AssemblyInfoSpec)" />

    <

 

Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SolutionRoot)"
      Command="$(TF) checkout /recursive $(AssemblyInfoSpec)"/>
</Target>

<

 

Target Name="AfterCompile" Condition="'$(IsDesktopBuild)'!='true'">
    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SolutionRoot)"
    Command="$(TF) checkin /comment:&quot;Auto-Build: Version Update&quot; /noprompt /override:&quot;Auto-Build: Version Update&quot; /recursive $(AssemblyInfoSpec)"/>
</Target>

<!--

 

In case of Build failure, the AfterCompile target is not executed. Undo the changes -->

<

 

Target Name="BeforeOnBuildBreak" Condition="'$(IsDesktopBuild)'!='true'">
    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SolutionRoot)"
      Command="$(TF) undo /noprompt /recursive $(AssemblyInfoSpec)"/>
</Target>

 

Answer 1

You must use @(AssemblyInfoSpec) I think, because it is an item and not a property. To be sure, you can add a <Message Text="$(AssemblyInfoSpec)" /> line to be sure.

---

Ewald - Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help.


Blog: www.ewaldhofman.nl

Answer 2

Did you use the TFS path to the file? "$/<source location>/AssemblyInfo.cs"? If you use the disk path, "c:\<path>\AssemblyInfo.cs", it will not work.

Answer 3

No, $ is correct, it's a property. The dodgy formatting threw me too.

Amir, the article that you refer to is good and i don't see anything obvious. I have done my utmost to steer away from using this method of versioning in TFS though. I would recommend using the TFSVersion task in the Extension Pack rather. I have some thoughts on versioning here and here which are a bit old, but should be worth a read.

Mike

Answer 4

Hi Ewald

Thanks. You were absolutely right - I changed to @(AssemblyInfoSpec) and manged to get further in the build.

Unfortunately, I am now getting this error on checkout:

Using "Exec" task from assembly "Microsoft.Build.Tasks.v3.5, Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a".
Task "Exec"
  Command:
  "D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\..\tf.exe" checkout /recursive E:\TFB\Build\TFS Implementation\AutomatedBuilds2\Sources\Main\Src\TfbAutomatedBuilds\AutomatedBuilds\Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs
  No matching items found in E:\TFB\Build\TFS in your workspace.
  No matching items found in E:\TFB\Build\TFS Implementation\AutomatedBuilds2\Sources\Implementation\AutomatedBuilds2\Sources\Main\Src\TfbAutomatedBuilds\AutomatedBuilds\Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs in your workspace.
E:\TFB\Build\TFS Implementation\AutomatedBuilds2\BuildType\TFSBuild.proj(259,5): error MSB3073: The command ""D:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\..\tf.exe" checkout /recursive E:\TFB\Build\TFS Implementation\AutomatedBuilds2\Sources\Main\Src\TfbAutomatedBuilds\AutomatedBuilds\Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" exited with code 1.
Done executing task "Exec" -- FAILED.

The problem seems to be that Team Build has created a workspace but the tf.exe checkout does not know where the workspace is. Looking at MSDN, there doesn't appear to be any way specifying the workspace in tf checkout

Answer 5

I found the cause of the problem: our team project is called "TFS Implementation" - it has a space in it. So, I had to wrap @(AssemblyInfoSpec) with quotes using &quot;@(AssemblyInfoFiles)&quot;

Big thanks to Ewald for putting me on the right path. I'd buy you a drink Ewald if you were in England.

I have spent almost a week to get to this point. Every sample that I tried had a bug in it (which is why Ewald post was important). Below is the complete build definition that now works:

Pasting from Notepad as the Visual Studio copy messes up the formatting:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- DO NOT EDIT the project element - the ToolsVersion specified here does not prevent the solutions
     and projects in the SolutionToBuild item group from targeting other versions of the .NET framework.
     -->
<Project DefaultTargets="DesktopBuild" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003" ToolsVersion="3.5">

  <!-- Do not edit this -->
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\TeamBuild\Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Build.targets" />
 
  <ProjectExtensions>

    <!-- Team Foundation Build Version - DO NOT CHANGE -->
    <ProjectFileVersion>2</ProjectFileVersion>

    <!--  DESCRIPTION
     This property is included only for backwards compatibility. The description of a build definition
     is now stored in the database. For compatibility with V1 clients, keep this property in sync with
     the value in the database.
    -->
    <Description></Description>

    <!--  BUILD MACHINE
     This property is included only for backwards compatibility. The default machine used for a build
     definition is now stored in the database, as the MachineName property of the definition's
     DefaultBuildAgent. For compatibility with V1 clients, keep this property in sync with the value
     in the database.
    -->
    <BuildMachine>entaap615d</BuildMachine>

  </ProjectExtensions>

  <PropertyGroup>

    <!--  TEAM PROJECT
     This property is included only for backwards compatibility. The team project for a build
     definition is now stored in the database. For compatibility with V1 clients, keep this property in
     sync with the value in the database.
    -->
    <TeamProject>TFS Implementation</TeamProject>

    <!--  BUILD DIRECTORY
     This property is included only for backwards compatibility. The build directory used for a build
     definition is now stored in the database, as the BuildDirectory property of the definition's
     DefaultBuildAgent. For compatibility with V1 clients, keep this property in sync with the value
     in the database.
    -->
    <BuildDirectoryPath>E:\TFB\Build\TFS Implementation\AutomatedBuilds2</BuildDirectoryPath>

    <!--  DROP LOCATION
     This property is included only for backwards compatibility. The drop location used for a build
     definition is now stored in the database. For compatibility with V1 clients, keep this property
     in sync with the value in the database.
    -->
    <DropLocation>\\UNKNOWN\drops</DropLocation>

    <!--  TESTING
     Set this flag to enable/disable running tests as a post-compilation build step.
    -->
    <RunTest>false</RunTest>

    <!--  CODE ANALYSIS
     Set this property to enable/disable running code analysis. Valid values for this property are
     Default, Always and Never.

         Default - Perform code analysis as per the individual project settings
         Always  - Always perform code analysis irrespective of project settings
         Never   - Never perform code analysis irrespective of project settings
     -->
    <RunCodeAnalysis>Never</RunCodeAnalysis>

    <!-- Additional Properties -->

    <!--  WorkItemType
     The type of the work item created on a build failure.
     -->
    <WorkItemType>Bug</WorkItemType>

    <!--  WorkItemFieldValues
     Fields and values of the work item created on a build failure.
    
     Note: Use reference names for fields if you want the build to be resistant to field name
     changes. Reference names are language independent while friendly names are changed depending
     on the installed language. For example, "System.Reason" is the reference name for the "Reason"
     field.
     -->
    <WorkItemFieldValues>System.Reason=Build Failure;System.Description=Start the build using Team Build</WorkItemFieldValues>

    <!--  WorkItemTitle
     Title of the work item created on build failure.
     -->
    <WorkItemTitle>Build failure in build:</WorkItemTitle>

    <!--  DescriptionText
     History comment of the work item created on a build failure.
     -->
    <DescriptionText>This work item was created by Team Build on a build failure.</DescriptionText>

    <!--  BuildLogText
     Additional comment text for the work item created on a build failure.
     -->
    <BuildlogText>The build log file is at:</BuildlogText>

    <!--  ErrorWarningLogText
     Additional comment text for the work item created on a build failure.
     This text will only be added if there were errors or warnings.
     -->
    <ErrorWarningLogText>The errors/warnings log file is at:</ErrorWarningLogText>

    <!--  UpdateAssociatedWorkItems
     Set this flag to enable/disable updating associated workitems on a successful build.
     -->
    <UpdateAssociatedWorkItems>true</UpdateAssociatedWorkItems>

    <!--  AdditionalVCOverrides
     Additional text for the VCOverrides file generated for VC++ projects.
     -->
    <AdditionalVCOverrides></AdditionalVCOverrides>

    <!--  CustomPropertiesForClean
     Custom properties to pass to the MSBuild task while calling the "Clean" target for all solutions.
     The format should be: PropertyName1=value1;PropertyName2=value2;...
     -->
    <CustomPropertiesForClean></CustomPropertiesForClean>

    <!--  CustomPropertiesForBuild
     Custom properties to pass to the MSBuild task while calling the default targets for all solutions.
     The format should be: Property1=value1;Property2=value2;...  To pass custom properties to
     individual solutions, use the Properties metadata item of the SolutionToBuild ItemGroup.
     -->
    <CustomPropertiesForBuild></CustomPropertiesForBuild>

  </PropertyGroup>

  <!--<AIT>-->
  <PropertyGroup>
    <!-- Assembly version properties. Add others here -->
    <AssemblyMajorVersion>9</AssemblyMajorVersion>
    <AssemblyFileMajorVersion>9</AssemblyFileMajorVersion>

    <!-- TF.exe -->
    <TF>&quot;$(TeamBuildRefPath)\..\tf.exe&quot;</TF>

    <!-- AssemblyInfo file spec -->
    <AssemblyInfoSpec>AssemblyInfo.cs</AssemblyInfoSpec>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <!-- Set this to non-existent file to force rebuild. -->
  <ItemGroup>
    <IntermediateAssembly Include="$(SolutionRoot)\foobar.dll"/>
  </ItemGroup>
  <!--</AIT>-->

  <ItemGroup>
    <!--  SOLUTIONS
     The paths of the solutions to build. Paths can be server paths or local paths, but server paths
     relative to the location of this file are highly recommended.  To add/delete solutions, edit this
     ItemGroup. For example, to add a solution MySolution.sln, add the following line:
        
         <SolutionToBuild Include="$(BuildProjectFolderPath)/path/MySolution.sln" />

     To change the order in which the solutions are built, modify the order in which the solutions
     appear below.
    
     To call a target (or targets) other than the default, add a metadata item named Targets.  To pass
     custom properties to the solution, add a metadata item named Properties.  For example, to call
     the targets MyCustomTarget1 and MyCustomTarget2, passing in properties Property1 and Property2,
     add the following:
        
         <SolutionToBuild Include="$(BuildProjectFolderPath)/path/MySolution.sln">
             <Targets>MyCustomTarget1;MyCustomTarget2</Targets>
             <Properties>Property1=Value1;Property2=Value2</Properties>
         </SolutionToBuild>
    -->
    <SolutionToBuild Include="$(BuildProjectFolderPath)/../../Main/Src/TfbAutomatedBuilds/AutomatedBuilds.sln">
        <Targets></Targets>
        <Properties></Properties>
    </SolutionToBuild>

  </ItemGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <!--  CONFIGURATIONS
     The list of configurations to build. To add/delete configurations, edit this value. For example,
     to add a new configuration, add the following lines:
        
         <ConfigurationToBuild Include="Debug|x86">
             <FlavorToBuild>Debug</FlavorToBuild>
             <PlatformToBuild>x86</PlatformToBuild>
         </ConfigurationToBuild>

     The Include attribute value should be unique for each ConfigurationToBuild node.
    -->
    <ConfigurationToBuild Include="Release|Any CPU">
        <FlavorToBuild>Release</FlavorToBuild>
        <PlatformToBuild>Any CPU</PlatformToBuild>
    </ConfigurationToBuild>

  </ItemGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <!--  TEST ARGUMENTS
     If the RunTest property is set to true then the following test arguments will be used to run
     tests. Tests can be run by specifying one or more test lists and/or one or more test containers.
    
     To run tests using test lists, add MetaDataFile items and associated TestLists here.  Paths can
     be server paths or local paths, but server paths relative to the location of this file are highly
     recommended:
    
        <MetaDataFile Include="$(BuildProjectFolderPath)/HelloWorld/HelloWorld.vsmdi">
            <TestList>BVT1;BVT2</TestList>
        </MetaDataFile>

     To run tests using test containers, add TestContainer items here:
    
        <TestContainer Include="$(OutDir)\HelloWorldTests.dll" />
        <TestContainer Include="$(SolutionRoot)\TestProject\WebTest1.webtest" />
        <TestContainer Include="$(SolutionRoot)\TestProject\LoadTest1.loadtest" />

     Use %2a instead of * and %3f instead of ? to prevent expansion before test assemblies are built
    -->

  </ItemGroup>

  <PropertyGroup>
    <!-- TEST ARGUMENTS
     If the RunTest property is set to true, then particular tests within a
     metadata file or test container may be specified here.  This is
     equivalent to the /test switch on mstest.exe.

     <TestNames>BVT;HighPriority</TestNames>
    -->

  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <!--  ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PATH
     The list of additional reference paths to use while resolving references. For example:
    
         <AdditionalReferencePath Include="C:\MyFolder\" />
         <AdditionalReferencePath Include="C:\MyFolder2\" />
    -->
  </ItemGroup>

  <!--<AIT>-->
  <Target Name="AfterGet" Condition="'$(IsDesktopBuild)'!='true'">
   
    <!-- Set the AssemblyInfoFiles items dynamically -->
    <CreateItem Include="$(SolutionRoot)\**\$(AssemblyInfoSpec)">
      <Output ItemName="AssemblyInfoFiles" TaskParameter="Include" />
    </CreateItem>

    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SolutionRoot)"
          Command="$(TF) checkout /recursive &quot;@(AssemblyInfoFiles)&quot;"/>
  </Target>

  <Target Name="AfterCompile" Condition="'$(IsDesktopBuild)'!='true'">
    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SolutionRoot)"
          Command="$(TF) checkin /comment:&quot;Auto-Build: Version Update&quot; /noprompt /override:&quot;Auto-Build: Version Update&quot; /recursive &quot;@(AssemblyInfoFiles)&quot;" />
  </Target>
  <!-- In case of Build failure, the AfterCompile target is not executed. Undo the changes -->
  <Target Name="BeforeOnBuildBreak" Condition="'$(IsDesktopBuild)'!='true'">
    <Exec WorkingDirectory="$(SolutionRoot)"
          Command="$(TF) undo /noprompt /recursive &quot;@(AssemblyInfoFiles)&quot;" />
  </Target>
  <!--</AIT>-->

</Project>

Answer 6

Mike

Thanks for your message.

I had already come across your articles but to be honest I did not fully understand the point being made. I have just got started with all of this Team Build / MSBuild stuff and my head is blowing up already.

We need our version numbers to change when we do a Team Build because the build will contain new code. Being a revised code base, the version number needs to change so that we know what version of code we are sending to system test, UAT, or production.

Am I missing something?

Answer 7

Hi Amir

All you are missing is a clear up to date blog post from me. It's been on my todo list for way too long... I'll try get something published soon.... Mike

Answer 8

Hi Mike

Ok. I look forward to reading it.

Thanks
Amir