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In a huge VS 2005 solution, we used Visual Studio VB macros to perform custom post build actions for all projects. Because VS 2013 does not support macros any more, I'm searching for a way to do those actions using a VS extension.

I got stuck choosing the right approach, there seems to be different ways to do this.

I simply want to know which approach is best for us:

  • VSIX vs. VS Package?
  • It should be possible to catch build events
  • We want a minimal installation on the developer machine (file copy preferred)
  • Creating some toolbar commands would be nice but not essential
joe
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2 Answers2

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You can reuse your existing VB macros code in VS 2013 with my Visual Commander extension.

Sergey Vlasov
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Sorry, I'm giving you the tough love answer here. :-)

You should not use Visual Studio extensions to extend your build, since command line builds, or builds on your continuous integration machines then need to have VS installed and set up properly. The proper way to extend your build is with MSBuild, which will work in all cases. And, since your MSBuild stuff is just checked in with the project file, you have zero installation -- your developers just get the right version when they sync with source control. If you want to make updates, they all get the updates when they sync with source control vs. having to force everybody to update.

MSBuild is quite powerful in what it lets you do, so you really don't need macros.

Jason Malinowski
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  • OK, sounds good. But how do I, just as a simple example, copy all built files of, let's say, 60 projects of one solution to a single debug directory using MSBuild? And, when I build just a few projects, copy only those? – joe Jun 30 '14 at 19:00