Use xbuild by default in F# for MonoDevelop

[funnelweb]

Not sure of the status of xbuild support, supposedly it is much improved in Mono 3.0.

We need to see if it is ok and if we should use it instead of all the current hacking we do.

[migueldeicaza]

I thought that the Xbuild support was handled by the F# addin?

[alanmcgovern]

What issue are you having with xbuild support? It's the sole build engine for our Android product for more than a year now.

[funnelweb]

• fsc.exe was not being installed in lib/mono/4.5. I think this was my mistake
• The Microsoft.FSharp.targets has had some issues to do with resource files. Some fixes in fsharp/fsharp@369f7bd

I'm going to be compiling more projects using xbuild later today. For example I'll try to bootstrap the F# compiler using xbuild.

-- ben

[funnelweb]

Yes, you're right, it's using it as the default if you enable xbuild. All looks good now, I'm compiling F# projects happily using xbuild after latest F# fixes - tag 3.0.6 in https://github.com/fsharp/fsharp

[alanmcgovern]

My point was that you can force f# projects to always build with xbuild regardless of the IDE setting. This is probably what you want to do.

[funnelweb]

Sounds right. Any idea how we do that? Now the fsharpbinding implements IDotNetLanguageBinding and overrides Compile with some logic which cracks the project file etc. on its own

https://github.com/fsharp/fsharpbinding/blob/master/MonoDevelop.FSharpBinding/FSharpLanguageBinding.fs

Do we replace this by an invocation of xbuild? If so, do you know where there some sample code for that?

-- ben

p.s. another one problem we have is that FSharp.Core is showing up as undefined in MonoDevelop's solution pad (though xbuild finds it on a build). If you know anything about that would be grateful for pointers #30

[alanmcgovern]

@mhutch, What's the correct way to opt all F# projects in to using XBuild by default?

[mhutch]

useXBuild="true" on the DotNetProjectSubtype where the targets are registered

[alanmcgovern]

They use a DotNetProject, not a DotNetProjectSubtype

[funnelweb]

We can change if you think it is the right thing to do to move things
forward