In .NET world MSBuild is the build engine, the guy that transforms your code to binaries. Code is built by interpreting scripts and they hold a sequence of build steps. Usually, the only scripts that are used are project files, like csproj or vbproj files. On build server, you can specify a solution or project file to build. However, it can do much, much more if you use it with custom scripts.<\/p>\n
When starting the build, build server (TFS, TeamCity) passes a reference to your sln or csproj file to MSBuild. If you set it to pass the reference to another file, say ‚main.build‘, MSBuild will try to interpret it as a build script.<\/p>\n
This script can have multiple custom build steps. These could include validation of properties which are passed to script or setting up folders for build output before the build itself.<\/p>\n
Regarding the build part, it can simply call another instance of MSBuild to build a solution or few of them and perhaps enforce a specific output directory. After the build script could have a step to run unit tests.<\/p>\n
If build and tests pass, script can create a release\/setup package by simply copying a set of files somewhere, by zipping them or by running a separate tool for making a setup (ClickOnce, InstallShield etc.). This can also include an obfuscation step for desktop applications.<\/p>\n
Script can run your setup package, install your service to IIS web server and\/or run scripts to setup database and actually create new environment. If needed, a set of integration tests using tools for automated testing (SoapUI) could be used to verify package as a whole.<\/p>\n
Automated cycle from build to deployment can greatly increase confidence in your code, both yours and your client’s. Hence you could come to a point where you automatically deploy to production environment if tests pass. This way you are going towards continuous delivery, an ideal of developers and clients.<\/p>\n
Many utility applications (testing frameworks, archiving utilities) support running through command line interface, which are great for running from MSBuild script. Also, many other functions like executing SQL script against a server, or setting up stuff on web\/application server are wrapped in tasks built by community. Finally, you can build you own tasks in C# or VB.NET for really special cases.
\nReferences:
\nhttps:\/\/www.soapui.org\/
\nhttps:\/\/www.msbuildextensionpack.com\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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