How to: Use Build Events in MSBuild Projects

A build event is a command that MSBuild performs at a particular stage in the build process. The pre-build event occurs before the build starts; the pre-link event occurs before the link step starts; and the post-build event occurs after the build successfully ends. A build event occurs only if the associated build step occurs. For example, the pre-link event does not occur if the link step does not run.

Each of the three build events is represented in an item definition group by a command element (<Command>) that is executed and a message element (<Message>) that is displayed when MSBuild performs the build event. Each element is optional, and if you specify the same element multiple times, the last occurrence takes precedence.

An optional use-in-build element (<build-eventUseInBuild>) can be specified in a property group to indicate whether the build event is executed. The value of the content of a use-in-build element is either true or false. By default, a build event is executed unless its corresponding use-in-build element is set to false.

The following table lists each build event XML element:

The following table lists each use-in-build element:

Example

The following example can be added inside of the Project element of the myproject.vcxproj file created in Walkthrough: Using MSBuild to Create a C++ Project. A pre-build event makes a copy of main.cpp; a pre-link event makes a copy of main.obj; and a post-build event makes a copy of myproject.exe. If the project is built using a release configuration, the build events are executed. If the project is built using a debug configuration, the build events are not executed.

<ItemDefinitionGroup>
  <PreBuildEvent>
    <Command>copy $(ProjectDir)main.cpp $(ProjectDir)copyOfMain.cpp</Command>
    <Message>Making a copy of main.cpp </Message>
  </PreBuildEvent>
  <PreLinkEvent>
    <Command>copy $(ProjectDir)$(Configuration)\main.obj $(ProjectDir)$(Configuration)\copyOfMain.obj</Command>
    <Message>Making a copy of main.obj</Message>
  </PreLinkEvent>
  <PostBuildEvent>
    <Command>copy $(ProjectDir)$(Configuration)\$(TargetFileName) $(ProjectDir)$(Configuration)\copyOfMyproject.exe</Command>
    <Message>Making a copy of myproject.exe</Message>
  </PostBuildEvent>
</ItemDefinitionGroup>

<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">
  <PreBuildEventUseInBuild>true</PreBuildEventUseInBuild>
  <PreLinkEventUseInBuild>true</PreLinkEventUseInBuild>
  <PostBuildEventUseInBuild>true</PostBuildEventUseInBuild>
</PropertyGroup>

<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">
  <PreBuildEventUseInBuild>false</PreBuildEventUseInBuild>
  <PreLinkEventUseInBuild>false</PreLinkEventUseInBuild>
  <PostBuildEventUseInBuild>false</PostBuildEventUseInBuild>
</PropertyGroup>

See also

MSBuild on the command line - C++
Walkthrough: Using MSBuild to Create a C++ Project