Empty an MSBuild ItemGroup

itemgroupmsbuild

Is there a way to remove the contents of an ItemGroup without resorting to Targets? I'm looking for something equivalent to:

<ItemGroup>
  <MyItemGroup Remove="@(MyItemGroup)"/>
</ItemGroup>

Thanks

Best Answer

No, as the documentation states, Remove can only be included in a ItemGroup inside a Target. I'm not sure why using a Target is an issue in your case, but if want to use the 'Remove' step for every build config, then add it to one of the BeforeXXXX AfterXXX hooks, like BeforeBuild.

ItemGroup 'Remove' Documentation

Starting in the .NET Framework 3.5, Target elements may contain ItemGroup elements that may contain item elements. These item elements can contain the Remove attribute, which removes specific items (files) from the item type. For example, the following XML removes every .config file from the Compile item type.

<Target>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Compile Remove="*.config"/>
  </ItemGroup>
</Target>

Related Solutions

Modify MSBuild ItemGroup Metadata

Yes you can modify or add to an <ItemGroup>'s meta data after it is defined (MSBuild 3.5)

<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">

  <!-- Define ItemGroup -->
  <ItemGroup>
    <TestItemGroup Include="filename.txt">
      <MyMetaData>Test meta data</MyMetaData>
    </TestItemGroup>
    <TestItemGroup Include="filename2.txt">
      <MyMetaData>Untouched</MyMetaData>
    </TestItemGroup>
  </ItemGroup>

  <Target Name="ModifyTestItemGroup" BeforeTargets="Build">
    <!-- Show me-->
    <Message Text="PRE:  %(TestItemGroup.Identity)  MyMetaData:%(TestItemGroup.MyMetaData)  OtherMetaData:%(TestItemGroup.OtherMetaData)" Importance="high" />

    <!-- Now change it - can only do it inside a target -->
    <ItemGroup>
      <TestItemGroup Condition="'%(TestItemGroup.MyMetaData)'=='Test meta data' AND 'AnotherCondition'=='AnotherCondition'">
        <MyMetaData>Well adjusted</MyMetaData>
        <OtherMetaData>New meta data</OtherMetaData>
      </TestItemGroup>
    </ItemGroup>

    <!-- Show me the changes -->
    <Message Text="POST: %(TestItemGroup.Identity)  MyMetaData:%(TestItemGroup.MyMetaData)  OtherMetaData:%(TestItemGroup.OtherMetaData)" Importance="high" />
  </Target>

  <Target Name="Build" />
</Project>

Reference: MSDN Library: New Methods for Manipulating Items and Properties (MSBuild)

Creating a list of Folders in an ItemGroup using MSBuild

In MSBuild 4.0 this is possible:

<ItemGroup>
  <Folders Include="$([System.IO.Directory]::GetDirectories(&quot;$(RootFolder)&quot;))" />
</ItemGroup>

Property Functions: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd633440.aspx

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Modify MSBuild ItemGroup Metadata

Creating a list of Folders in an ItemGroup using MSBuild

Related Topic