Can not build the build target of a specific project within a solution

[goyzhang]

Issue Description

I'm following the guide from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/how-to-build-specific-targets-in-solutions-by-using-msbuild-exe
Some targets cannot be run from the solution level using msbuid .sln -t::

Reproduce

For example,msbuild Consoleapp.sln -t:ConsoleApp:build gives me

error MSB4057: The target "ConsoleApp:build" does not exist in the project.

However, rebuild and clean seems to be working.

Analysis

I've checked .sln.metaproj. There are only ConsoleApp.Clean, Console:Public and Console:Rebuild created. No build or custom target.

Versions & Configurations

Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 16.7.0+b89cb5fde for .NET Framework
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

16.7.0.37604

[benvillalobos]

Team Triage: Can you share a small solution that reproduces this behavior? Given the target names that you're sharing, it sounds like the project name may not be what you think it is.

[goyzhang]

@benvillalobos Yes, check this https://github.com/goyzhang/SampleConsoleApp
Running SampleConsoleApp>msbuild -t:ConsoleApp:build gives you the error.
I think MSBuild should raise custom targets from .csproj into .sln.metproj. Or am I wrong?

[benvillalobos]

Team Triage: You can build the default target in a project (which is usually build) by specifying just the project name with nothing after the colon. However, it does appear to be a bug that you can't specify the build target by name.

[goyzhang]

Actually I got the answer from docs and this topic: https://stackoverflow.com/a/49311810/6223314
Where it should work not only for built-in targets but also for custom targets. However, now only rebuild and clean are in .sln.metaproj

[bematteo]

Since updating Visual Studio to 16.10 I started having the same problem.
rebuild and clean targets work fine, but the build target fails.

[jespergustinmsft]

I just noticed the same thing in VS16.10.

I'm trying to build a project name in a solution folder using: -t:FolderName\ProjectName
But this fails. However: -t:FolderName\ProjectName:Rebuild
works fine

[kikijiki]

Same issue here, all my builds are failing now.

@benvillalobos Could this be taken out of the backlog?

[VonOgre]

Running into the same issue as jespergustinmsft, where specifying what should be a legitimate target in the metaproj to build a particular csproj no longer works with MSBuild after updating to VS16.10. However the :Clean and :Rebuild flavored targets still function.

when specifying: MSBuild mysolution.sln -t:FolderName\ProjectName
it seems to iterate through all of the projects and tries to execute the "FolderName\ProjectName" target in each one, rather than executing that target from the .sln.metaproj

[rainersigwald]

Problems with specifying a project name in a solution in 16.10 are likely #6373, which will be fixed with Visual Studio 16.10.1.

[bematteo]

Confirmed that 16.10.1 works fine here.

[goyzhang]

@benvillalobos Yes, check this https://github.com/goyzhang/SampleConsoleApp
Running SampleConsoleApp>msbuild -t:ConsoleApp:build gives you the error.
I think MSBuild should raise custom targets from .csproj into .sln.metproj. Or am I wrong?

I'm still getting the error in 16.10.2+857e5a733

[bematteo]

I think in my case the problem was fixed because I don't put the :build explicitly.

I checked on 16.10.2 that with @goyzhang sample, msbuild -t:ConsoleApp works but msbuild -t:ConsoleApp:build does not.