How to add custom build step to a TFS Server Build ?

Most of the time when you are creating a build script (TFSBuild.proj), you need to do some steps after the build. Wether it’s creating an MSI for easier deployment, creating a VSI for a Visual Studio Add-in, or whatever if may be… you normally do a post build.

A post build event looks like the following inside the TFSBuild.proj :

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<Target Name="AfterDropBuild">
    <CallTarget Targets="PostBuildStep" />
</Target>

<Target Name="PostBuildStep">
    <!-- Do something -->
</Target>

When you only have 1 or 2 tasks and that one fails, it might be easy to find the one that failed. What if you have 8 to 20 tasks? It then becomes incredibly hard to find which one failed. What I’ve seen the most is normally some ““ tags with some descriptive tasks. This is the equivalent of debugging with Console.WriteLine or Debug.Print.

What if you could know EXACTLY which task failed to run? Here is a way to add a custom build step to your TFS build which will allow you to easily know what crashed.

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<Target Name="PostBuildStep">
    <!-- Create the build steps which start in mode "Running" -->
    <BuildStep TeamFoundationServerUrl="$(TeamFoundationServerUrl)" BuildUri="$(BuildUri)" Message="Doing Something on a PostBuild Event" Condition=" '$(IsDesktopBuild)' != 'true' ">
    <!-- Return the ID of the tasks and assigned it to "PropertyName" -->
    <Output TaskParameter="Id" PropertyName="PostBuildStepId" />
    </BuildStep>

    <!-- Do something -->

    <!-- When everything is done, change the status of the task to "Succeeded" -->
    <BuildStep TeamFoundationServerUrl="$(TeamFoundationServerUrl)" BuildUri="$(BuildUri)" Id="$(PostBuildStepId)" Status="Succeeded" Condition=" '$(IsDesktopBuild)' != 'true' " />

    <!-- If an error occurs during the process, run the target "PostBuildStepFailed" -->
    <OnError ExecuteTargets="PostBuildStepFailed" />
</Target>

<Target Name="PostBuildStepFailed">
    <!-- Change the status of the task to "Failed" -->
    <BuildStep TeamFoundationServerUrl="$(TeamFoundationServerUrl)" BuildUri="$(BuildUri)" Id="$(PostBuildStepId)" Status="Failed" Condition=" '$(IsDesktopBuild)' != 'true' " />
</Target>

With that in place, you will see exactly which task failed. As a bonus, it will also give you the time at which it completed. This will easily allow you to compare with your other task to see which one is taking the most time.

I would like to thank Martin Woodward which is a TeamSystem MVP. The question originated from Stackoverflow and more details are also available on Martin’s website.