MSBuild Reference

MSBuild is the build system for Microsoft and Visual Studio. The topics in this section contain MSBuild reference information.

In This Section

• MSBuild Project File Schema Reference
  Describes all the XML elements that make up the MSBuild file format.

• MSBuild Task Reference
  Describes some of the typical tasks that are included with MSBuild.

• MSBuild Conditions
  Describes the conditions available in MSBuild files.

• MSBuild Conditional Constructs
  Describes how to use the Choose, While, and Otherwise elements.

• MSBuild Reserved Properties
  Describes the MSBuild reserved properties.

• Common MSBuild Project Properties
  Describes the various project properties that are either common to all project types or often-used by a particular project type.

• Common MSBuild Project Items
  Describes the various project items that are either common to all project types or often-used by a particular project type.

• MSBuild Command Line Reference
  Describes the arguments and switches available for use with MSBuild.exe.

• MSBuild .Targets Files
  Describes the .Targets files that is included with MSBuild.

• MSBuild Well-known Item Metadata
  Lists the metadata that is created together with every item.

• MSBuild Response Files
  Explains the .rsp files that contain command-line switches.

• Additional Resources for MSBuild
  Provides links to MSBuild Web sites and newsgroups.

• Windows Presentation Foundation MSBuild Reference
  Contains an MSBuild targets and task reference for Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).

• Overrideable Command Line Properties
  Gives a list of properties that can overridden when you perform command-line builds.

• Special Characters to Escape
  Gives a list of special characters that, in some circumstances, must be "escaped" to be interpreted correctly. An escape sequence is a series of characters that signifies that what follows is an alternative interpretation.

Related Sections

• MSBuild Overview
  Gives an overview of MSBuild features and processes.

• MSBuild
  Introduces information about MSBuild and how to use it to build projects.

• General Reference for the .NET Framework
  Contains reference information related to the .NET Framework.