How can I invoke my MSBuild Target when msbuild.exe starts and when it ends

by

To execute a solution-wide Before and After targets, you would create two MSBuild project files named “after.<SolutionName>.sln.targets” and “before.<SolutionName>.sln.targets” in the same folder as your solution.

To do this on all solutions, you would drop your custom solution-level after targets files into the path $(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\SolutionFile\ImportBefore\ or $(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\$(MSBuildToolsVersion)\SolutionFile\ImportAfter. When those solutions are built, it will import all project files in these folders if they exist.

To verify the above, open a command prompt and navigate to the folder containing your solution file. Type “SET MSBuildEmitSolution=1”. Then run msbuild.exe <SolutionName>. You will see that msbuild has saved the metadata project files <SolutionName>.sln.metaproj and <SolutionName>.sln.metaproj.tmp in the same path as your solution.

View the <Import /> declarations at the top and bottom of the file and you’ll notice the conditional imports that allow you to declare solution-specific before and after targets, or global solution-specific before and after targets.

Edit:

It appears that this would only be applicable to command line or team builds, but not from within Visual Studio.

I added this to my After.Solution.sln.targets file:

<Target Name="Banana" AfterTargets="Build">
    <Message Text="*** BEGIN BANANA ***" Importance="high" />
    <Message Text=" _                                          " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="//\                                         " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="V  \                                        " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text=" \  \_                                      " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="  \,'.`-.                                   " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="   |\ `. `.                                 " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="   ( \  `. `-.                        _,.-:\" Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="    \ \   `.  `-._             __..--' ,-';/" Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="     \ `.   `-.   `-..___..---'   _.--' ,"https://stackoverflow.com/" Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="      `. `.    `-._        __..--'    ,"https://stackoverflow.com/" Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="        `. `-_     ``--..''       _.-' ,'   " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="          `-_ `-.___        __,--'   ,'     " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="             `-.__  `----'''    __.-'       " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="                  `--..____..--'            " Importance="high" />
    <Message Text="*** END BANANA ***"  Importance="high" />
</Target>

From the command line: Bananas!

On a TFS build: Bananas!

Visual Studio: No bananas 🙁

More Related Contents:

  1. MSDeploy skip rules when using MSBuild PublishProfile with Visual Studio 2012
  2. MSBuild doesn’t copy references (DLL files) if using project dependencies in solution
  3. Get Visual Studio to run a T4 Template on every build
  4. Set content files to “copy local : always” in a nuget package
  5. VS2010 How to include files in project, to copy them to build output directory automatically during build or publish
  6. Visual Studio 2012 – Intellisense sometimes disappearing / broken
  7. Displaying build times in Visual Studio?
  8. Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component VS2012 when debugging
  9. How can I exclude a project from a build in MSBuild?
  10. Project reference VS NuGet
  11. class name and method name dropdown list is missing (visual studio setting)
  12. MS-Build 2017 “Microsoft.WebApplication.targets ” is missing
  13. What is this ‘Waiting for Background operation’ in Visual Studio 2012?
  14. How to Integrate ILMerge into Visual Studio Build Process to Merge Assemblies?
  15. Symbol file not loading for debugging custom project in Visual Studio 2012
  16. Waiting for second key of chord
  17. TF400324: Team Foundation services are not available from server in Visual Studio 2012
  18. How do I open a Visual Studio project in design view?
  19. Visual Studio – Error when clicking on Solution -> Properties (Object reference not set to an instance of an object)
  20. Will Web Deployment Projects still be available in Visual Studio 2012?
  21. debugging with visual studio using redirected standard input
  22. VS 2012 / 2013 AccessViolationException
  23. Any good PowerShell MSBuild tasks?
  24. Why does intellisense and code suggestion stop working when Visual Studio is open?
  25. MSBuild in TeamCity of Visual Studio 2012 solution
  26. How to include OpenSSL in Visual Studio
  27. What is the purpose of the Visual Studio Hosting Process?
  28. Using CUDA with Visual Studio 2017
  29. Create MSI and Enforce All Users with Visual Studio
  30. Missing Project/Item Templates

Leave a Comment