[wix-users] How to build WiX Custom Action projects without having VS Extension installed?

Wed Jan 15 15:43:40 PST 2020

I created sample.proj on my system with this content

<Project DefaultTargets="Default" xmlns="
http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
    <Target Name="Default">
        <Message Text="MSBuildBinPath = $(MSBuildBinPath)" />
        <Message Text="MSBuildExtensionsPath = $(MSBuildExtensionsPath)" />
    </Target>
</Project>

Then I ran the following powershell to run sample.proj against the
msbuild.exe installed on my system

C:\temp> gci C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework,
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64, $env:ProgramFiles,
${env:ProgramFiles(x86)} -recurse -file -filter msbuild.exe -ea 0 |% { &
$_.fullname sample.proj } | out-file sample.txt

Here is the output of sample.txt on my system

Build started 1/15/2020 3:38:01 PM.
__________________________________________________
Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" (default targets):

Target Default:
    MSBuildBinPath = C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727
    MSBuildExtensionsPath = C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:00:00.05
Microsoft (R) Build Engine Version 3.5.30729.9135
[Microsoft .NET Framework, Version 2.0.50727.9148]
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 2007. All rights reserved.

Build started 1/15/2020 3:38:01 PM.
Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" on node 0 (default targets).
  MSBuildBinPath = C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727
  MSBuildExtensionsPath = C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild
Done Building Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" (default targets).

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:00:00.08
Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 4.8.3752.0
[Microsoft .NET Framework, version 4.0.30319.42000]
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Build started 1/15/2020 3:38:02 PM.
Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" on node 1 (default targets).
Default:
  MSBuildBinPath = C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727
  MSBuildExtensionsPath = C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild
Done Building Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" (default targets).

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:00:00.28
Microsoft (R) Build Engine Version 2.0.50727.9136
[Microsoft .NET Framework, Version 2.0.50727.9148]
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 2005. All rights reserved.

Build started 1/15/2020 3:38:02 PM.
__________________________________________________
Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" (default targets):

Target Default:
    MSBuildBinPath = C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727
    MSBuildExtensionsPath = C:\Program Files\MSBuild

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:00:00.13
Microsoft (R) Build Engine Version 3.5.30729.9135
[Microsoft .NET Framework, Version 2.0.50727.9148]
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 2007. All rights reserved.

Build started 1/15/2020 3:38:03 PM.
Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" on node 0 (default targets).
  MSBuildBinPath = C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727
  MSBuildExtensionsPath = C:\Program Files\MSBuild
Done Building Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" (default targets).

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:00:00.21
Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 4.8.3752.0
[Microsoft .NET Framework, version 4.0.30319.42000]
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Build started 1/15/2020 3:38:03 PM.
Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" on node 1 (default targets).
Default:
  MSBuildBinPath = C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727
  MSBuildExtensionsPath = C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild
Done Building Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" (default targets).

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:00:00.42
Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 15.9.21+g9802d43bc3 for .NET Framework
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Build started 1/15/2020 3:38:07 PM.
Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" on node 1 (default targets).
Default:
  MSBuildBinPath = C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual
Studio\2017\Professional\MSBuild\15.0\Bin
  MSBuildExtensionsPath = C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual
Studio\2017\Professional\MSBuild
Done Building Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" (default targets).

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Build started 1/15/2020 3:38:07 PM.
Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" on node 1 (default targets).
Default:
  MSBuildBinPath = C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual
Studio\2017\Professional\MSBuild\15.0\Bin\amd64
  MSBuildExtensionsPath = C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual
Studio\2017\Professional\MSBuild
Done Building Project "C:\temp\sample.proj" (default targets).

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:00:00.03

So I'm guessing your build server is using an msbuild.exe from C:\Program
Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\BuildTools.

If C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\wix.ca.targets is the
same as the wix.ca.targets installed by the VS extension, then I'd
explicitly set WixCATargetsPath to C:\Program Files
(x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\wix.ca.targets on your build server.

--
Edwin G. Castro

On Wed, Jan 15, 2020 at 3:19 PM Edwin Castro <egcastr at gmail.com> wrote:

> Which version of WiX v3 are do you have installed? I think I see
> wix.ca.targets installed by the WiX CoreMSI when the MSBuild Support
> feature is selected.
>
>
> https://github.com/wixtoolset/wix3/blob/wix3112rtm/src/Setup/CoreMsi/MSBuild.wxs
>
>
> I think it gets installed into
> [ProgramFilesFolder]\MSBuild\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x
>
>
> https://github.com/wixtoolset/wix3/blob/wix3112rtm/src/Setup/CommonLib/Folders.wxs
>
>
> I expected MSBuildExtensionsPath to resolve to C:\Program Files
> (x86)\MSBuild for a 32-bit process.
>
>
> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/msbuild-reserved-and-well-known-properties
>
>
> If WixCATargetsPath is not explicitly set to C:\Program Files
> (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\BuildTools\MSBuild
> \Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\Wix.CA.targets then MSBuildExtensionsPath must be
> getting resolved to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual
> Studio\2017\BuildTools\MSBuild by the version of MSBuild used on your build
> server.
>
> I'd confirm that C:\Program Files
> (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\wix.ca.targets exists and explicitly set
> WixCATargetsPath on your build server OR figure out why
> MSBuildExtensionsPath seems to be getting resolved to a non-standard
> directory.
>
> --
> Edwin G. Castro
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 15, 2020 at 2:53 PM Philipp Weber via wix-users <
> wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I've got a C# solution containing a WiX installer project, which
>> references a C# Custom Action project for WiX v3. Within the csproj of
>> that CA project, there is a WixCATargetsPath entry referencing the file
>> Wix.CA.targets:
>>
>> <WixCATargetsPath Condition=" '$(WixCATargetsPath)' == ''
>>
>> ">$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\Wix.CA.targets</WixCATargetsPath>
>>
>> The Wix.CA.targets is obviously part of the installation of the Wix
>> Toolset VS 2017 Extension, and not of the Wix Toolset itself. But on our
>> build server, neither Visual Studio nor Wix Toolset Extension is
>> installed, which is why the build there fails:
>>
>> error MSB4019: Das importierte Projekt "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft
>> Visual Studio\2017\BuildTools\MSBuild\Microsoft\WiX\v3.x\Wix.CA.targets"
>> wurde nicht gefunden. Vergewissern Sie sich, dass der Pfad in der
>> <Import>-Deklaration korrekt und die Datei auf dem Datenträger vorhanden
>> ist.
>>
>> On the build server, WiX Toolset is installed, but not the corresponding
>> VS extension.
>> So is it possible to build Custom Action projects on the build server
>> without having the Wix Toolset Extension installed? Is there any
>> alternative?
>>
>> Thanks for your help in advance
>> Philipp
>>
>> ____________________________________________________________________
>> WiX Toolset Users Mailing List provided by FireGiant
>> http://www.firegiant.com/
>
>