MSBuild Doesn't Run Tasks That TFSBuild Does

Question

Hi,

I have a simple build type that just builds a solution and then copies some files into the build output folder using the BeforeDropBuild target (TFS 2008).

It works fine when checked in and run on the TFS box, but if i run it locally on my developer desktop using msbuild i can see from the diagnostics that it has recognised it needs to override the default BeforeDropBuild target with the one i have specified in my build type, but after that there are no more entries in the diagnostics i.e. the build completes without actually running that target!

Is this simply because running msbuild on my desktop isn't as functional as it running on the build server, or are there some other differences between msbuild and "tfsbuild" that i am unaware of?

Cheers
Dan

Answer 1

Yes, if you look at the build file and its import you will see loads of Condition="'$(IsDesktopBuild)'!='true'". When TFS runs a build it sets this to false, and performs a whole lot more than you will get on a desktop.

You can add more targets to your team build so it does more on a desktop or create a standalone desktop build.

Mike

Answer 2

Hi Mike,

Thanks for replying! I assumed that running it from the desktop would be the same as running on the build server so i could test easily without having to checkout and checkin the build type all the time.

Is there an easy way to summarise what cannot be done on the desktop build? Or alternatively, is there a better practice for doing the testing without having to checkout/checkin and run on the build server each time I make a change?

Cheers
Dan

Answer 3

Hi Dan,

 

If you’d like to run the test on local desktop, TFSBuild is not the proper way, because some targets will need to contact with the server.

As Mike pointed out, you could create a standalone desktop build by the VSTS:

Visual Studio Team System Test Types

They will do the same testing as the TFSBuild on the TFS.

---

Regards,
Jialiang Ge
MSDN Subscriber Support in Forum
If you have any feedback of our support, please contact [e-mail].
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.
Welcome to the All-In-One Code Framework! If you have any feedback, please tell us.

Answer 4

Cool thanks guys!

Cheers
Dan