Use the Build Events dialog box to specify build configuration instructions. You can also specify the conditions under which any pre-build or post-build events are run. For more information, see How to: Specify Build Events (Visual Basic).

Pre-build event command line

Specifies any commands to execute before the build starts. To type long commands, click Edit Pre-build to display the Pre-build Event/Post-build Event Command Line Dialog Box.

Note
Pre-build events do not run if the project is up-to-date and no build is triggered.

Post-build event command line

Specifies any commands to execute after the build ends. To type long commands, click Edit Post-build to display the Pre-build Event/Post-build Event Command Line dialog box.

Note
Add a call statement before all post-build commands that run .bat files. For example, call C:\MyFile.bat or call C:\MyFile.bat call C:\MyFile2.bat.

Run the post-build event

Specifies the following conditions for the post-build event to run, as shown in the following table.

Option	Result
Always	Post-build event will run, regardless of whether the build succeeds.
On successful build	Post-build event will run if the build succeeds. The event will run even for a project that is up-to-date, as long as the build succeeds. This is the default setting.
When the build updates the project output	Post-build event will run only when the compiler's output file (.exe or .dll) is different than the previous compiler output file. A post-build event is not run if a project is up-to-date.

See Also