Versioning .NET builds

.net, msbuild, tfs, versioning, wix

Solution

I came up with a solution that meets all my requirements, and surprisingly quite simple one!

IDEA

Put all custom Versioning work into a custom Version.proj MsBuild script and call it in TFS build definition before the .sln. The script injects Version into source code (SharedAssemblyInfo.cs, Wix code, readme.txt), and then solution build builds that source code.

Version is formed from Major and Minor numbers living in Version.xml file stored in TFS together with the source codes; and from Changeset Number supplied as TF_BUILD_SOURCEGETVERSION env var by parent TFS Build process

Thanks Microsoft for this:

- TFS 2013 - passes TF_BUILD environment variables to the build process, this is how I get changeset number of the current code being built

- MsBuild allows inline tasks in C# - to replace version in source files using Regex C# class

So there is no need to use any MsBuild or TFS community\extension packs\addons\whatever. And there is no need to modify standard TFS build process template. Simple solution leads to high maintainability!

IMPLEMENTATION

Version.proj

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">

<!--
Run this script for every build in CI tool before building the main solution
If you build in TFS, simply add script as the first item in a list of projects under Process tab > Build > Projects
-->

  <PropertyGroup>
    <VersionFile>..\Version.xml</VersionFile>
    <MainProjectDir>... set this to main solution directory ...</MainProjectDir>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <Import Project="$(VersionFile)"/>
  <Import Project="Common.proj"/>

  <Target Name="GetMajorMinorNumbers">
    <Error Text="ERROR: MajorVersion is not set in $(VersionFile)" Condition="'$(MajorVersion)' == ''" />
    <Message Text="MajorVersion: $(MajorVersion)" />

    <Error Text="ERROR: MinorVersion is not set in $(VersionFile)" Condition="'$(MinorVersion)' == ''" />
    <Message Text="MinorVersion: $(MinorVersion)" />
  </Target>


  <Target Name="GetChangesetNumber">
    <Error Text="ERROR: env var TF_BUILD_SOURCEGETVERSION is not set, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh850448.aspx" Condition="'$(TF_BUILD_SOURCEGETVERSION)' == ''" />
    <Message Text="TF_BUILD_SOURCEGETVERSION: $(TF_BUILD_SOURCEGETVERSION)" />
  </Target>


  <Target Name="FormFullVersion">
    <PropertyGroup>
        <FullVersion>$(MajorVersion).$(MinorVersion).$(TF_BUILD_SOURCEGETVERSION.Substring(1))</FullVersion>
    </PropertyGroup>
    <Message Text="FullVersion: $(FullVersion)" />
  </Target>


  <Target Name="UpdateVersionInFilesByRegex">
    <ItemGroup>
        <!-- could have simplified regex as Assembly(File)?Version to include both items, but this can update only one of them if another is not found and operation will still finish successfully which is bad -->
        <FilesToUpdate Include="$(MainProjectDir)\**\AssemblyInfo.cs">
            <Regex>(?&lt;=\[assembly:\s*Assembly?Version\(["'])(\d+\.){2,3}\d+(?=["']\)\])</Regex>
            <Replacement>$(FullVersion)</Replacement>
        </FilesToUpdate>
        <FilesToUpdate Include="$(MainProjectDir)\**\AssemblyInfo.cs">
            <Regex>(?&lt;=\[assembly:\s*AssemblyFileVersion\(["'])(\d+\.){2,3}\d+(?=["']\)\])</Regex>
            <Replacement>$(FullVersion)</Replacement>
        </FilesToUpdate>
        <FilesToUpdate Include="CommonProperties.wxi">
            <Regex>(?&lt;=&lt;\?define\s+ProductVersion\s*=\s*['"])(\d+\.){2,3}\d+(?=["']\s*\?&gt;)</Regex>
            <Replacement>$(FullVersion)</Replacement>
        </FilesToUpdate>
    </ItemGroup>

    <Exec Command="attrib -r %(FilesToUpdate.Identity)" />
    <Message Text="Updating version in %(FilesToUpdate.Identity)" />
    <RegexReplace Path="%(FilesToUpdate.Identity)" Regex="%(Regex)" Replacement="%(Replacement)"/>
  </Target>



  <Target Name="WriteReadmeFile">
    <Error Text="ERROR: env var TF_BUILD_BINARIESDIRECTORY is not set, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh850448.aspx" Condition="'$(TF_BUILD_BINARIESDIRECTORY)' == ''" />
    <WriteLinesToFile
        File="$(TF_BUILD_BINARIESDIRECTORY)\readme.txt"
        Lines="This is version $(FullVersion)"
        Overwrite="true"
        Encoding="Unicode"/>
  </Target>

  <Target Name="Build">
    <CallTarget Targets="GetMajorMinorNumbers" />
    <CallTarget Targets="GetChangesetNumber" />
    <CallTarget Targets="FormFullVersion" />
    <CallTarget Targets="UpdateVersionInFilesByRegex" />
    <CallTarget Targets="WriteReadmeFile" />
  </Target>

</Project>

Common.proj

<Project xmlns='http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003' ToolsVersion="12.0">
<!-- based on example from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd722601.aspx -->
  <UsingTask TaskName="RegexReplace" TaskFactory="CodeTaskFactory" AssemblyFile="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.Build.Tasks.v12.0.dll">
    <ParameterGroup>
      <Path ParameterType="System.String" Required="true" />
      <Regex ParameterType="System.String" Required="true" />
      <Replacement ParameterType="System.String" Required="true" />
    </ParameterGroup>
    <Task>
      <Reference Include="System.Core" />
      <Using Namespace="System" />
      <Using Namespace="System.IO" />
      <Using Namespace="System.Text.RegularExpressions" />
      <Code Type="Fragment" Language="cs"><![CDATA[
            string content = File.ReadAllText(Path);
            if (! System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.IsMatch(content, Regex)) {
                Log.LogError("ERROR: file does not match pattern");
            }
            content = System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Replace(content, Regex, Replacement);
            File.WriteAllText(Path, content);
            return !Log.HasLoggedErrors;
]]></Code>
    </Task>
  </UsingTask>

  <Target Name='Demo' >
    <RegexReplace Path="C:\Project\Target.config" Regex="$MyRegex$" Replacement="MyValue"/>
  </Target>
</Project>

Version.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <MajorVersion>1</MajorVersion>
    <MinorVersion>1</MinorVersion>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

Problem

Original source