Customize Your Builds in Visual Studio Using the Standalone MSBuild Tool
The build process inside Visual Studio has been redesigned from scratch in Visual Studio 2005, stripped out from the confines of the IDE, and shipped all on its own as a separate tool called MSBuild. And because MSBuild is part of the .NET Framework 2.0, you can start customizing your own build processes and extend them with user-defined tasks.
by Klaus Aschenbrenner
August 16, 2004
he build process has always been one of the dark mysteries of Visual Studio. What exactly happened when you pressed F5 inside the IDE? Nobody really knew for sure.
This is one of the reasons why Microsoft decided to redesign the whole build process from scratch in Visual Studio 2005. In this upcoming release the whole build process is separated from the IDE and is bundled in a standalone tool called MSBuild. The advantage of this approach is that MSBuild is part of the .NET Framework 2.0 and in the Longhorn timeframe the .NET Framework will be part of the underlying operating system. So you don't need anything in your build lab except a computer running the .NET Framework—there are no other deployment issues, like there are in Visual Studio 2005.
It's quick, easy and you get access to all the articles on DevX.
This registration/login is to allow you to read articles on devx.com. Already a member?
To become a member of DevX.com create your Member Profile by completing the form below. Membership is free!
he build process has always been one of the dark mysteries of Visual Studio. What exactly happened when you pressed F5 inside the IDE? Nobody really knew for sure.
