Build project in 2017 Visual Studio from the command line?

Question

In Visual Studio my project builds without any problem, but from command line I get the error "Hard error". Project .net (c#)

Command line:

 psinfo = new ProcessStartInfo(DEVENVPATH, @"""c:\Projects\[--pathtoproject--].sln"" /build");
 psinfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
 psinfo.UseShellExecute = false;

 Process.Start(psinfo).WaitForExit();

I got error "Hard error" and Visual Studio crashed.

Solution

You should use the MSBuild.exe or csc.exe instead of devenv.exe.

const string COMPILER = "PATH/TO/DEV/TOOLS/msbuild.exe";
// later in code
psinfo = new ProcessStartInfo(COMPILER, "PATH\TO\PROJECT\PROJECT_NAME.sln /t:Rebuild /p:Configuration=Release");

Compiling with devenv requires more parameters ( and i think it requires to add some informations about projects ):

psinfo = new ProcessStartInfo(DEVENVPATH, @"""c:\Projects\[--pathtoproject--].sln"" /build RELEASE");

Comments

[NORM_4EL]

Thanks you!! Msbuild works. How to select project to build ?

[mrogal.ski]

to build only single project instead of "PATH\TO\PROJECT\PROJECT_NAME.sln you can do "PATH\TO\PROJECT\PROJECT_NAME.csproj

[NORM_4EL]

(if select csproj:) I got error "toolset", "build with 15.0, but need 12.0", how to select build toolset ? thanks

[mrogal.ski]

tool set depends on the msbuild version you can check current version with developer console with msbuild /ver command. Basically the version is the version of VS. ( Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0 ) is Visual Studio 2013

[NORM_4EL]

I just use Process Hacker 2 and copy command line to build project with msbuild 2017: "project.csproj /nologo /clp:NoSummary /p:Configuration=""Release"" /p:Platform=""x86"" /v:m /t:Rebuild" and now works without error, thanks!

[Michael Braude]

Just call msbuild from a developer command prompt. msbuild will be on the path. msbuild will not be on the path for a regular command prompt.

[mrogal.ski]

@MichaelBraude msbuild ( as everything else ) is available from command line and developer console ( since it is just a file ). But Developer Command Prompt has simple shortcut ( variable ) to execute msbuild with a simple name command.

[Michael Braude]

@m.ragalski, what I mean is that it's not on the PATH any more. You need to specify the directly where it lives or modify your env variables manually.

[yurislav]

fyi, path to mbsbuild.exe installed along VS2017 Communiity is `C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\MSBuild\15.0\Bin`