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MSBuild / xbuild - Steps of a build

I’m working on adding MSBuild style building to PlayScript.

The end goal is two fold.

1st) To support the standard MSBuild process in order to allow VS/MD/XS’s IDEs to use this std process via the project file’s target import tag.

2nd) Can I replace the compile portion of the process (with the PlayScript compiler) so I directly create Xamarin.Mac, Xamarin.iOS and Xamarin.Android libraries that are written in PlayScript/ActionScript by using Xamarin’s custom MSBuild process, but via a different compiler that produces the IL code?

A compiled PlayScript library (or exe) is just a standard CIL assembly and can be referenced by C# projects, Xamarin mobile projects or not, but directly referencing Xamarin iOS, Android or Mac libraries will not work as those project types are special (mainly licensing checks and build steps). So the 2nd part of this is really an experient is to see if we are stuck to only linking to PlayScript libraries or can we use PlayScript to directly code against the Xamarin’s mobile libraries and still comply with their licensing/build process.

Building via the psc CLI compiler is almost identical to using csc or mcs. There are a few different options are available in order to support some of the ActionScript 3 compiler options, but I digress…

The normal MSBuild / xbuild steps to compile a CSharp project (.csproj) involved the following high-level Targets:

  • PrepareForBuild:
  • CopyFilesMarkedCopyLocal:
  • GenerateSatelliteAssemblies:
  • CoreCompile:
  • DeployOutputFiles:

Ignoring the multimedia pipeline processing of assets (images, SWFs, vector transformations, 3D models, etc..) the only step that we need to focus on is the CoreCompile:

Import Project=“$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets”

~~~
<Target
        Name="CoreCompile"
        Inputs="$(MSBuildAllProjects);@(Compile);@(ManifestResourceWithNoCulture);@(ManifestNonResxWithNoCultureOnDisk);@(CompiledLicenseFile);
                $(KeyOriginatorFile);@(ReferencePath);$(Win32Icon);$(Win32Resource)"
        Outputs="@(DocFileItem);@(IntermediateAssembly)"
        DependsOnTargets="$(CoreCompileDependsOn)">
        <Csc
                AdditionalLibPaths="$(AdditionalLibPaths)"
                AddModules="@(AddModules)"
                AllowUnsafeBlocks="$(AllowUnsafeBlocks)"
                BaseAddress="$(BaseAddress)"
~~~
                Win32Icon="$(Win32Icon)"
                Win32Resource="$(Win32Resource)"
                Resources="@(ManifestResourceWithNoCulture);@(ManifestNonResxWithNoCultureOnDisk);@(CompiledLicenseFile)"
                ToolExe="$(CscToolExe)"
                ToolPath="$(CscToolPath)" />

</Target>
~~~

Looking at the Csc section, if I can replace ToolExe and CscToolPath properties then I can have this Target use PlayScript (psc) vs. csc or mcs.

So as a quick test, copying Microsoft.CSharp.targets to PlayScript.MSBuild.Targetsand adding thisPropertyGroupsection with hardcoded paths before theCoreCompile` target section:

    <PropertyGroup>
            <PlayScriptBinPath Condition=" '$(PsBuildBinPath)' == '' ">/Users/sushi/Library/Application Support/XamarinStudio-5.0/LocalInstall/Addins/MonoDevelop.PlayScript.5.10.2/MonoDevelop.PlayScript.SupportPackages</PlayScriptBinPath>
            <CscToolExe Condition=" '$(CscToolExe)' == '' ">psc</CscToolExe>
            <CscToolPath Condition=" '$(CscToolPath)' == '' ">$(PsBuildBinPath)</CscToolPath>
    </PropertyGroup>

And replacing:

<Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />

with:

<Import Project="packages\PlayScript.MSBuild.5.10.2.2\build\PlayScript.MSBuild.Targets" />

>xbuild nuget-test.psproj

XBuild Engine Version 12.0
Mono, Version 4.2.2.0
Copyright (C) 2005-2013 Various Mono authors

Build started 1/1/2016 11:05:25 AM.
__________________________________________________
Project "/Users/sushi/code/XamTests/nuget-test/nuget-test.psproj" (default target(s)):
    Target PrepareForBuild:
        Configuration: Debug Platform: x86
    Target BeforeResolveReferences:
                         AssemblySearchPaths: {CandidateAssemblyFiles};{HintPathFromItem};{TargetFrameworkDirectory};{PkgConfig};{GAC};{RawFileName};bin/Debug/;/Users/sushi/mono/play32/bin
    Target GenerateSatelliteAssemblies:
    No input files were specified for target GenerateSatelliteAssemblies, skipping.
    Target GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute:
    Skipping target "GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute" because its outputs are up-to-date.
    Target CoreCompile:
         psc
         /Users/sushi/mono/play32/bin

        Tool /Users/sushi/mono/play32/bin/psc execution started with arguments: /noconfig /debug:full /debug+ /optimize- /out:obj/x86/Debug/nuget-test.exe Main.play /target:exe /define:DEBUG /nostdlib /platform:x86 /reference:/Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/4.2.2/lib/mono/4.5/System.dll /reference:packages/PlayScript.AOT.5.10.2.0/lib/net45/PlayScript.Dynamic_aot.dll /reference:packages/PlayScript.AOT.5.10.2.0/lib/net45/pscorlib_aot.dll /reference:/Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/4.2.2/lib/mono/4.5/System.Core.dll /reference:/Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/4.2.2/lib/mono/4.5/mscorlib.dll /warn:4
    Target DeployOutputFiles:
        Copying file from '/Users/sushi/code/XamTests/nuget-test/obj/x86/Debug/nuget-test.exe.mdb' to '/Users/sushi/code/XamTests/nuget-test/bin/Debug/nuget-test.exe.mdb'
        Copying file from '/Users/sushi/code/XamTests/nuget-test/obj/x86/Debug/nuget-test.exe' to '/Users/sushi/code/XamTests/nuget-test/bin/Debug/nuget-test.exe'
Done building project "/Users/sushi/code/XamTests/nuget-test/nuget-test.psproj".

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

Time Elapsed 00:00:01.8555370

That works, cool…

But that requires mod'ing complete copy of Microsoft.CSharp.targets.

So lets strip out everything but our PlayScript changes and import the std CSharp targets.

<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
    <Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />

    <PropertyGroup>
        <DefaultLanguageSourceExtension>.cs</DefaultLanguageSourceExtension>
        <Language>PlayScript</Language>
    </PropertyGroup>

<!-- PlayScript -->
    <PropertyGroup>
        <PlayScriptBinPath Condition=" '$(PsBuildBinPath)' == '' ">/Users/sushi/Library/Application Support/XamarinStudio-5.0/LocalInstall/Addins/MonoDevelop.PlayScript.5.10.2/MonoDevelop.PlayScript.SupportPackages</PlayScriptBinPath>
        <CscToolExe Condition=" '$(CscToolExe)' == '' ">psc</CscToolExe>
        <CscToolPath Condition=" '$(CscToolPath)' == '' ">$(PsBuildBinPath)</CscToolPath>
    </PropertyGroup>
<!-- PlayScript -->

<!--
    Note: Microsoft.CSharp.targets already imports Microsoft.Common.targets
          so if we need to override/replacement would need to do it after the 
          Microsoft.CSharp.targets import either in this file or by importing another
          file, i.e. PlayScript.Common.targets
          (this is where we will include our multimedia pipeline tasks)
    <Import Project="$(MSBuildBinPath)\Microsoft.Common.targets" />
-->

<!-- PlayScript -->
    <Target Name="BeforeResolveReferences">
        <CreateProperty
            Value="$(AssemblySearchPaths);$(PsBuildBinPath)">
            <Output TaskParameter="Value" PropertyName="AssemblySearchPaths" />
        </CreateProperty>
    </Target>
<!-- PlayScript -->

    <Import Project="$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)\PlayScript.MSBuild.Debug.Targets" />
</Project>

That works…

We still need to look into the custom Xamarin Mobile targets and remove the hardcoded paths from our PlayScript targets, but lets leave that for another post.

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