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Customizable Team Foundation Build ...

This page is specific to

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/.NET Framework 2.0

Other versions are also available for the following:

Visual Studio Team System

Customizable Team Foundation Build Targets

MSBuild targets define how a MSBuild project is built. The Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Build.targets file defines the target hierarchy and a set of predefined MSBuild tasks and targets for Team Foundation Build used for all Team Foundation Build types. Each Team Foundation Build build type includes a project file that is named TfsBuild.proj. TfsBuild.proj imports the Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Build.targets file and provides values for various properties, item groups, and potentially overrides some of the extension point targets in the hierarchy.

Important
Do not modify the Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Build.targets file.

For more information about MSBuild targets, see MSBuild Targets.

Targets that can be Customized with Tasks

Tasks are contained in targets. Tasks provide the code that runs during the build process. The following table lists all the Team Foundation Build targets that are defined for extensibility. Insert your tasks into one of these targets depending on when you must run your custom tasks during the build process.

Note
We do not recommend that you extend other targets.

Target Name	Description
BeforeEndToEndIteration	Insert your task into this target to run tasks before the EndToEndIteration target.
AfterEndToEndIteration	Insert your task into this target to run tasks after the EndToEndInteration target.
BuildNumberOverrideTarget	Used to override a target to customize the build number. The task you write must create an output property called BuildNumber.
BeforeClean	Called before clean is tried. Insert your task into this target to run pre-clean custom target.
AfterClean	Called after clean is completed. Insert your task into this target to run post-clean custom tasks.
BeforeGet	Called before sources are retrieved from source control. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks before sources are retrieved.
AfterGet	Called after sources are retrieved. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks before sources are retrieved.
BeforeLabel	Called before sources are labeled. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks before the Label target.
AfterLabel	Called after labeling is completed. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks after the Label target.
BeforeCompile	Called before compilation is started. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks before the code files are compiled.
AfterCompile	Called after compilation is completed. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks after the code files are compiled. For an example, see Walkthrough: Configuring Team Foundation Build to Build a Visual Studio Setup Project.
BeforeTest	Called before tests are run. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks before the Test target.
AfterTest	Called after testing is completed. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks after the Test target.
BeforeDropBuild	Called before saving the built binaries, build log files, and test results to the build-drop directory on the release server. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks before the built files are saved to the drop-directory.
AfterDropBuild	Called after dropping the built binaries, build log files, and test results to the release server. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks after the built files are saved to the drop-directory.
BeforeOnBuildBreak	Called before creating a work item on the build break. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks before the BuildBreak target.
AfterOnBuildBreak	Called after a work item is created on the build break. Insert your task into this target to run custom tasks after the BuildBreak target.

Inserting Tasks into the Targets

The task code you write must be paired with a target. For more information, see How To: Write a Task. To write a custom task you must follow these steps.

Write the task code, and check it into source control.

Note

It is good coding practice to check task code into source control, but it is not absolutely necessary.
Register the custom task in the TfsBuild.proj file by declaring it using the UsingTask MSBuild element. For more information, see UsingTask Element (MSBuild).
```
<UsingTask 
    TaskName="MyTasks.SimpleTask" 
    AssemblyName="MyAssembly.Build.Tasks"/>
```
Run the task by inserting it into the desired target in the TfsBuild.proj file.
```
<Target Name="BeforeGet">
    <SimpleTask />
</Target>
```
Deploy the dll that contains the custom task on the build computer.

Note
It is good coding practice to check task code into source control, but it is not absolutely necessary.

For an example of an end-to-end implementation of a custom task, see Walkthrough: Customizing Team Foundation Build with a Custom Task.

Order of Target Execution

The order of execution of the targets is in the following list.

BeforeEndToEndIteration
BuildNumberOverrideTarget
InitializeEndToEndIteration
BeforeClean
CoreClean
AfterClean
Clean
InitializeBuild
InitializeWorkspace
BeforeGet
CoreGet
AfterGet
BeforeLabel
CoreLabel
AfterLabel
PreBuild
BeforeCompile
CoreCompile
AfterCompile
Compile
GetChangeSetsAndUpdateWorkItems
PostBuild
BeforeTest
CoreTest
AfterTest
Test
PackageBinaries
TeamBuild
BeforeDropBuild
CoreDropBuild
CopyLogFiles
AfterDropBuild
DropBuild
AfterEndToEndIteration
EndToEndIteration

Targets that can be Customized with Tasks

Inserting Tasks into the Targets

Order of Target Execution

See Also

Concepts