General
MSBuild Sidekick v2 allows you to view, edit and
build Microsoft Visual Studio©
2005/2008 C# and VB.Net project files, Microsoft Team Build project files, Visual Studio©
2005/2008 solution files as well as custom MSBuild projects. While providing
rich Graphic User Interface and integrated build and
extensive logging capabilities, the application requires
only .Net 2.0 runtime to operate.
MSBuild Sidekick v2 supports MSBuild 2.0 and 3.5 schemas. It allows changing project file
schema dynamically during editing; the user interface will support elements depending on the schema
selected.
See
Sidekicks blog for details and usage patterns.
MSBuild Sidekick v1 is still supported and is publicly
available under the license.
Download
MSBuild Sidekick version 2.1 (released on 01-Apr-2008) is available for
download under the license.
The version provided is no-restrictions 14 days trial version; once trial period expires the
software functionality becomes blocked and the license ought to be purchased.
If you have purchased license for the version 2.0 of the application, download and
upgrade to 2.1
at no cost.
Purchase
Please visit the purchase page for information
on licensing models, pricing and registration process.
Support
Full email support is provided both for trial and registered versions (though registered
users take precedence). If you require support, found
a bug or have product specific feedback please
contact us.
Installation
MSBuild Sidekick v2 supports MSBuild 2.0 and 3.5 (MSBuild versions shipped with
.Net Framework 2.0 and 3.5 respectively) and requires only .Net 2.0 or 3.5
runtime.
Features
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View project structure in a tree view, with elements either grouped by element
type or displayed in the order of elements appearance in the project; imported elements
may be shown or hidden as desired.
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Easily navigate between elements using project tree view, "Search Elements"
dialog, "Jump To" function or Log window
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View and edit element properties using "Properties" grid or "Raw
XML" editor UI with full Intellisense support on project's properties, items
or metadata elements.
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View and edit list of elements (for container elements such as item group)
using "Elements" list UI.
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Access help with integrated MSDN support (either using on-line MSDN version
or installed local collection).
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Review project's targets build order using graphical "Targets diagram"
view.
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Build the current project, optionally specifying targets and properties for
the build session.
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Review build results and navigate to the issues by using detailed
build logs.
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Specify MSBuild schema version to use in project editing and builds.
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Select .Net Framework toolset to build MSBuild 3.5 projects with.
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Walkthroughs
Implementation notes
The application uses proprietary XML-based object model for the purpose of editing
MSBuild project files. The compliance to MSBuild schema and imports handling is
assured using MSBuild object model classes. Build and logging during the build process
are also performed using MSBuild object model.
MSBuild Sidekick uses several publicly available components (see copyright notices
below):
- This product includes WeifenLuo.WinFormsUI.Docking.dll, developed by Weifen Luo
and covered by the MIT license. Copyright © 2007 Weifen Luo
- This product includes Northwoods.GoExpress.dll. Copyright © Northwoods Software
Corporation.
Acknowledgements
Great thanks to the community for the support and feedback we received, and especially
to Sayed Ibrahim Hashimi, Steve St. Jean, Anatoly Popov, Bernard Vander Beken, Alan
Cyment, Martin Bohring, Chad Shelfhout, John Moshakis, Vipin Goal, Simon Devlin,
Jesper Hogstrom, Doron Neumann, Nathan Jones, Justin Josef Angel and Dan Moseley.
Special thanks to Maria Shneerson and Mark D'Urso on Microsoft MSDN team.
Legal
MSBuild is a short form for Microsoft Build Engine. Microsoft, Visual Studio, MSDN
and .NET are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
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