[wix-users] unable to build any WIX projects in VS2015 and Win10

Rob Mensching rob at firegiant.com
Mon Nov 30 10:09:05 PST 2015


The Build tasks in WiX v3.x do depend on .NETFX v3.5.

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 Short replies here. Complete answers over there: http://www.firegiant.com/


-----Original Message-----
From: wix-users [mailto:wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org] On Behalf Of Phill Hogland
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2015 9:49 AM
To: ibell at instepsystems.com; WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
Subject: Re: [wix-users] unable to build any WIX projects in VS2015 and Win10

Visual Studio - Wix projects do not need to depend on .NetFx3.  You can set the framework http://blogs.msdn.com/b/heaths/archive/2011/10/28/introducing-managed-bootstrapper-applications.aspx

I do not use NetFx3 in my Burn bundles, which run on Win10.

-----Original Message-----
From: wix-users [mailto:wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org] On Behalf Of Ian Bell
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2015 10:08 AM
To: 'WiX Toolset Users Mailing List' <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>; ibell at instepsystems.com
Subject: Re: [wix-users] unable to build any WIX projects in VS2015 and Win10

Hello Brian,

I had already tried changing the Target Framework in the Windows form application and set it to the full range available (i.e.  Net framework 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2 and 4.6).  At no time did the test Windows form application target .Net 3.5 because .Net 3.5 was not installed on the virtual computer.  I got the same ' CreateProjectReferenceDefineConstants'
error message regardless of which framework is targeted.   Note, these tests
are all being run in a VMWare V11 virtual machine, not that a virtual machine should make a difference.

After reading your response, I decided to try installing the .Net 3.5
framework on the Win10 computer.   After installing .Net 3.5  then I was
able to successfully build the WIX project regardless of which Target framework was selected for the Windows forms application.  This indicates to me that WIX itself has a dependency on the .Net 3.5 framework and will fail
if .Net 3.5 is not installed on the computer.   Anyways, the good news is
that I can continue learning/testing WIX on Win10.    

I would like to thank you for helping me get past a problem I had been
fighting with for 2 days.   

Cheers,

Ian



-----Original Message-----
From: wix-users [mailto:wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org] On Behalf Of Brian Enderle
Sent: November 30, 2015 07:30
To: ibell at instepsystems.com; WiX Toolset Users Mailing List
Subject: Re: [wix-users] unable to build any WIX projects in VS2015 and
Win10

This might have something to do with installed frameworks (see
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/astebner/archive/2007/03/14/mailbag-what-version-of-
the-net-framework-is-included-in-what-version-of-the-os.aspx).
Windows 7 came with .NET 3.5 installed and Windows 10 comes with 4.5 installed and 3.5 as an option which you can add via "Programs and Features".

Check which version of .NET you are targeting in your application project (right-click on project name and look under Application for Target Framework).  If you are targeting .NET 3.5 there are DLLs for both "Microsoft.Build.Utilities" and "Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v3.5".  In .NET 4.0+ there is just "Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v4.0"

The error message "Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.Build.Utilities, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its dependencies" would seem to indicate you are attempting to reference .NET 3.5 and the project is targeting .NET 4.0+. There is no "Microsoft.Build.Utilities" available in .NET 4.0+

If the application's framework is .NET 4.0 or higher, check the application's references and if there is a reference to Microsoft.Build.Utilities, remove it and add the
Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v4.0 reference.



Brian

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.  - Albert Einstein



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