- MSBuild is now installed as part of Visual Studio rather than as part of the .NET Framework
- MSBuild is now installed directly under %ProgramFiles%—for example, in C:Program FilesMSBuild.
- C:Program FilesMSBuild12.0Binmsbuild.exe
- C:WindowsMicrosoft.NETFrameworkv4.0.30319msbuild.exe
- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd576348.aspx
- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd393573.aspx
- A task is the smallest unit of work, in other words, the "atom" of a build. Tasks are independent executable components which may have inputs and outputs.
- A target is a named sequence of tasks
- Imported files are effectively inserted into the project file wherever they are referenced
- four parts of MSBuild: properties, items, tasks, and targets
- Clicking the Build command in Visual Studio will execute the default target in the project. Often, this target is also named Build. Choosing the Rebuild or Clean command will attempt to execute a target of the same name in the project. Clicking Publish will execute a target named PublishOnly in the project.
- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd393574.aspx
- MSBuild Concepts:
- Properties
- Items
- Targets
- Tasks
- Comparing Properties and Items
- MSBuild Special Characters