Copy linked content files at each build using MSBuild with certain constraints

Question

I am using Sharing files with Visual Studio's linked files concept. So I need to do Copy linked content files at each build using MSBuild.

For doing that I have written this code in my .vbproj file inside Project tag.

 <Target Name="CopyLinkedContentFiles" BeforeTargets="Build">
 <Copy SourceFiles="%(Content.Identity)" DestinationFiles=(Content.Identity)" 
 SkipUnchangedFiles="true" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="true" 
 Condition="'@(AllFiles)' != ''" />
 </Target>

and it's working fine. all the linked files are being copied.

But here I need to add certain constraints eg 'not copying files with .vb extension' . How to achieve that ?

I have tried this code

 <Target Name="CopyLinkedContentFiles" BeforeTargets="Build">

 <CreateItem Include="%(Content.Identity)">
    <Output ItemName="AllFiles" TaskParameter="Include" />
 </CreateItem>

 <ItemGroup>
   <AllFiles Remove="@(AllFiles)" Condition="'%(Extension)' == '.vb'"/>
  </ItemGroup>

  <Copy SourceFiles="@(AllFiles)" DestinationFiles="@(AllFiles)" 
     SkipUnchangedFiles="true" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="true" 
     Condition="'@(AllFiles)' != ''" />
  </Target>   

Its not working.No file is being copied.Please suggest any idea.

Answer 1

The way you are removing items should work. But the Copy task's SourceFiles and DestinationFiles are the same in the code you show so that's obviously a null operation. Use something like this instead:

<Copy SourceFiles="@(AllFiles)" DestinationFolder="$(MyDestDir)" />

Or, if the destination filenames depend on the input filenames:

<Target Name="MyCopy">
  <ItemGroup>
    <AllFiles Include="%(Content.Identity)" Condition="'%(Extension)' != '.vb'">
      <!-- Add metadata which will be used as destination directory:
           strip point from extension and convert to uppercase -->
      <Ext>$([System.String]::Copy('%(Extension)').Replace('.','').ToUpper())</Ext>
    </AllFiles>
  </ItemGroup>

  <Copy SourceFiles="@(AllFiles)"
        DestinationFiles="@(AllFiles->'$(OutDir)\%(Ext)\%(Filename)%(Extension)')" />
</Target>

You don't need the check for AllFiles being empty: if it is, nothing will be copied.

As you can see I used an easier and shorter way to achieve the filtering of items: with Remove you always need two statements, using just a Condition on the extension you just need one. For the sake of completeness here are 4 different ways including yours, but the first one being the shortest (also note you don't neeed CreateItem, just use an Item: less typing, same effect):

<ItemGroup>
  <Content Include="a.foo;b.foo;a.vb;b.vb"/> <!-- sample items -->
</ItemGroup>

<Target Name="FilterExamples">
  <ItemGroup>
   <AllFilesUsingCondition Include="%(Content.Identity)" Condition="'%(Extension)' != '.vb'"/>

   <VbFiles Include="%(Content.Identity)" Condition="'%(Extension)' == '.vb'"/>
   <AllFilesUsingExclude Include="%(Content.Identity)" Exclude="@(VbFiles)"/>

   <AllFilesUsingRemove Include="%(Content.Identity)"/>
   <AllFilesUsingRemove Remove="@(VbFiles)"/>

   <AllFilesUsingRemoveCondition Include="%(Content.Identity)"/>
   <AllFilesUsingRemoveCondition Remove="@(AllFilesUsingRemoveCondition)" Condition="'%(Extension)' == '.vb'"/>
  </ItemGroup>

  <Message Text="AllFilesUsingCondition=@(AllFilesUsingCondition)" />
  <Message Text="AllFilesUsingExclude=@(AllFilesUsingExclude)" />
  <Message Text="AllFilesUsingRemove=@(AllFilesUsingRemove)" />
  <Message Text="AllFilesUsingRemoveCondition=@(AllFilesUsingRemoveCondition)" />
</Target>

Output:

AllFilesUsingCondition=a.foo;b.foo
AllFilesUsingExclude=a.foo;b.foo
AllFilesUsingRemove=a.foo;b.foo
AllFilesUsingRemoveCondition=a.foo;b.foo