Sequentially build configurations in Visual Studio

问题:

MSDN describes how to create a batch build, but does not provide a way to automate different batches (and one click solution for the GUI)

This question describes conditionally invoking a second build but doesn't appear to suffice for more than two sequential configurations

This question addresses the same situation, but again only for two configurations

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In my test case, each configuration:

• defines its own MACROS (which impact source code)
• is applicable to multiple projects (class libraries). The projects are interdependent and require a specific build order in the context of the current configuration

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I would like visual studio to build multiple configurations sequentially with a single build command.

Can child configurations be nested under a parent configuration, and be executed sequentially by visual studio when the parent configuration is built?

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UPDATE : ATTEMPTED SOLUTION 1 [2016-03-11]

In response to Stijn's suggested answer I've tried the following:

Setup DotNetFramework 4.5 WinForms solution with 3 test projects and with 6 Configurations:

• CORE_DEBUG
• CORE_RELEASE
• EXTENDED_DEBUG
• EXTENDED_RELEASE
• Debug
• Release

The Debug Configuration must:

• NOT trigger it's own configuration build (i.e. 'Debug')
• must trigger the CORE_DEBUG and EXTENDED_DEBUG Configurations in sequence

I've added the following modified target to the first project's project file:

<Target Name="AfterBuild" Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU'">

Building with the 'Debug' Configuration now, causes an EXTENDED_RELEASE build to trigger. Having a look at the solution file, I see that Visual Studio decided to automatically link 'Debug' to 'EXTENDED_RELEASE':

    {4F9706AA-26A9-483C-81C4-22E301C54C89}.Debug|Any CPU.ActiveCfg = EXTENDED_RELEASE|Any CPU
    {4F9706AA-26A9-483C-81C4-22E301C54C89}.Debug|Any CPU.Build.0 = EXTENDED_RELEASE|Any CPU

Removing the above two lines from the solution file doesn't help, since Visual Studio just regenerates them. In summary this now has two undesirable outcomes:

1. Visual Studio executes a 'Debug' build for Project1
2. Visual Studio then executes an 'EXTENDED_RELEASE' for Project2 and Project3

Conclusion: While this approach can work, it also (first) performs debug and release configuration builds respectively. Visual Studio also lists all 6 Configurations in the build menu (we only want Debug and Release to be visible, and behind the scenes Debug must trigger CORE_DEBUG and EXTENDED_DEBUG, and Release must trigger CORE_RELEASE and EXTENDED_RELEASE)

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UPDATE : ATTEMPTED SOLUTION 2 [2016-03-16]

Moving on to a makefile project solution: I've created a makefile project as specified by stijn's answer below, and it worked perfectly!

Conclusion : This is the preferred solution in my opinion because it gives the user the most power and ability to control exactly how the build(s) must be executed and how the configurations must be handled.

回答1:

The principle of the second SO question can be adjusted to build more than one configuration/platform sequentially by just invoking MsBuild multiple times. For instance:

<Target Name="AfterBuild" Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU'">
  <MSBuild Projects="$(MySolution)" Properties="Configuration=Release;Platform=x86"/>
  <MSBuild Projects="$(MySolution)" Properties="Configuration=Debug;Platform=x64"/>
  <MSBuild Projects="$(MySolution)" Properties="Configuration=Release;Platform=x64"/>
</Target>

This can be cleaned up by using item batching, removing the condition and instead automatically determining which config is invoked and then only building the others etc but that's a bit out of scope here.

I'm not really convinced doing this in an AfterBuild target is the best way though, because then you'd need to adjust one of your 'normal' projects to also trigger a build of everything else. An alternative is to add a MakeFile Project to your solution, set up it's dependencies so that it comes last in the build order (at least if that is what you need), and set it's command line to invoke msbuild in a way similar as described above. You can even keep all logic in the same project file: set the 'Build Command Line' to

msbuild $(MsBuildThisFile) /t:CustomBuild /p:Configuration=$(Configuration);Platform=$(Platform)

so building the project will 'recurse' and make it call itself again with the same properties as called with by VS, but executing the CustomBuild target where you can then build your other projects/solutions to taste.

EDIT re: update You're almost there, but you have to go to Configuration Manager and make sure the configurations are setup properly to begin with. From the start:

• create new solution, add 3 projects
• right-click solution, select Configuration Manager
• in the Active solution configuration combobox select new
• enter CORE_DEBUG for name, select DEBUG under Copy settings from and make sure the Create new project configurations is checked like
• repeat for other configurations
• for EXTENDED_RELEASE for instance, it should now look like
• you probably did most of this already, but somehow Debug got assigned to EXTENDED_RELEASE somehow so that is one thing you should fix; you could do that by editing the solution manually but instead of removing lines you'd have to edit them to be correct else VS just adds them again, as you noticed

Now open first project in a text editor and near the end of the file where AfterBuild is already inserted but commented out, add

<ItemGroup>
  <Configurations Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Debug'" Include="CORE_DEBUG;EXTENDED_DEBUG" />
  <Configurations Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Release'" Include="CORE_RELEASE;EXTENDED_RELEASE" />
  <Projects Include="$(SolutionDir)WindowsFormsApplication1.csproj;$(SolutionDir)WindowsFormsApplication2.csproj;$(SolutionDir)WindowsFormsApplication3.csproj" />
</ItemGroup>
<Target Name="AfterBuild" Condition="'@(Configurations)' != ''">
  <Message Text="Projects=@(Projects) Configuration=%(Configurations.Identity)" />
  <MSBuild Projects="@(Projects)" Targets="Build" Properties="Configuration=%(Configurations.Identity)" />
</Target>

you might need to adjust the paths to the projects. This will build CORE_DEBUG and EXTENDED_DEBUG for Debug builds, and likewise for Release builds. AfterBuild is skipped when the Configurations ItemGroup is empty, i.e. when not building Debug or Release which is exactly the point.

EDIT re: makefile

You can specify multiple commands for the makefile commandline. Click the arrow next to the 'Build Command Line' box and select '' To be sure you have everything right, Configuration Manager has to be set up to only build the makefile project for Debug/Release like:

and the makefile project's commandline looks like

Alternatively, and I'd prefer this myself, you create an msbuild file with the same content as above:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="12.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <ItemGroup>
    <Configurations Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Debug'" Include="CORE_DEBUG;EXTENDED_DEBUG" />
    <Configurations Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Release'" Include="CORE_RELEASE;EXTENDED_RELEASE" />
    <Projects Include="$(SolutionDir)WindowsFormsApplication1.csproj;$(SolutionDir)WindowsFormsApplication2.csproj;$(SolutionDir)WindowsFormsApplication3.csproj" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <Target Name="Build" Condition="'@(Configurations)' != ''">
    <Message Text="Projects=@(Projects) Configuration=%(Configurations.Identity)" />
    <MSBuild Projects="@(Projects)" Targets="Build" Properties="Configuration=%(Configurations.Identity)" />
  </Target>
</Project>

and your makefile command then invokes that file like

msbuild /path/to/msbuildfile /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug;SolutionDir=$(SolutionDir)