Troubleshooting the CCNetArtifactDirectory Issue in CruiseControl.net

Setting up an automated build system can be tricky, especially when dealing with platform-specific configurations. One common challenge developers face is integrating CruiseControl.net with the MSBuild task. This blog post aims to clarify how to use CCNetArtifactDirectory effectively, ensuring that your build outputs are managed correctly without unnecessary modifications to project files.

Understanding the Problem

You might have encountered an issue while setting up CruiseControl.net involving the MSBuild task configuration. The main question here is:

How do I effectively utilize the CCNetArtifactDirectory within MSBuild without causing errors in my build process?

The confusion arises because even though CCNetArtifactDirectory is supposed to be passed to MSBuild automatically, many users find that they cannot reference it correctly in their build arguments. A common error you might see is:

ThoughtWorks.CruiseControl.Core.Config.Preprocessor.EvaluationException: Reference to unknown symbol CCNetArtifactDirectory

Let’s dive into a solution.

The Solution

Don’t Worry About CCNetArtifactDirectory

The good news is that you don’t have to directly specify CCNetArtifactDirectory in your MSBuild commands. By default, CruiseControl.net passes this directory to MSBuild, which takes care of placing the build output in the appropriate location based on the working directory specified in your configuration.

Here’s an example configuration:

<executable>c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\MSBuild.exe</executable>
<workingDirectory>C:\data\projects\FooSolution\</workingDirectory>
<projectFile>FooSolution.sln</projectFile>
<buildArgs>/noconsolelogger /p:Configuration=Debug</buildArgs>

Output Location

Using the above configuration, the output from your builds will be directed to:

C:\data\projects\FooSolution\[ProjectName]\bin\Debug

This means that the artifacts are being generated correctly without you having to worry about specifying CCNetArtifactDirectory.

Customizing Output Location

However, if you desire to direct your output to a different location, you can achieve this through the <publishers> section of your CruiseControl.net configuration.

Here’s how to customize the output directory:

<publishers>
  <xmllogger />
  <buildpublisher>
    <sourceDir>C:\data\projects\FooSolution\FooProject\bin\Debug</sourceDir>
    <publishDir>C:\published\FooSolution\</publishDir>
    <useLabelSubDirectory>false</useLabelSubDirectory>
  </buildpublisher>
</publishers>

In this sample configuration:

• sourceDir: Specify the directory from where MSBuild will publish the artifacts.
• publishDir: Set the destination where you want to publish the build outputs.
• useLabelSubDirectory: This option can be toggled to include or exclude label directories in your publish path.

Summary

Integrating CruiseControl.net with MSBuild doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By recognizing that you don’t need to directly reference CCNetArtifactDirectory, you can streamline your build process effectively. If you ever need to redirect build outputs, simply configure the <publishers> section accordingly.

With these solutions at hand, you’ll be better equipped to handle your automated build configurations seamlessly.

This concludes our overview of dealing with CCNetArtifactDirectory issues in CruiseControl.net when using MSBuild. Embrace this knowledge to enhance your workflow and make your development experience smoother!