How to execute a target in MSBuild after project references have been built?

Question

Say I have a project depending on another:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ...>
  ...
  <ItemGroup>
    <ProjectReference Include="p1.csproj">
      <Project>{456a45c3-764a-4a7c-8ad4-d83d61cc89bb}</Project>
      <Name>P1</Name>
    </ProjectReference>
  </ItemGroup>

  <Target Name="RunAfterBuildingProjRefs" AfterTargets="???">
    ...
  </Target>
</Project>

To ensure that target RunAfterBuildingProjRefs is executed after all project references ( p1 ) are built, what target should I specify in its AfterTargets attribute?

Answer 1

You can use AfterResolveReferences as a hook target to run after all references have been resolved. This also includes COM and native references - if you really want project references only, then hooking after ResolveProjectReferences is also an option.

See The ProjectReference Protocol for details about how project-to-project references work and which targets are involved.