How can I view the current “step” of a task being performed in a list of items through a user log in MSBuild?

Question

I apologize in advance for not even knowing how to tell you what I need correctly, so I will try to explain this in more detail:

We are creating an automated deployment process using MSBuild. Our software installer must run several times on some machines in our environment, as we must configure individual instances. The way we do this is to create “lists” (if the term is correct, variables like @ (name)) of tasks that must be filled with metadata describing the installation to run, for which instance to run it and on which machine, and then cycle around all of these. In addition, we terminate and restart the services in a synchronized manner.

In fact, our problem is to separate where there are errors, and limit them to a specific instance for the purposes of our registrar. Is there a way that the current properties of the task are exposed to the logger when warnings appear? Ideally (for this to be useful), this would be post-parsing, therefore, if the property:

<Exec Command="install%(InstanceName.ShortName).bat" />

Can we examine this property in the log and see that it is currently running "installfoo.bat"?

Answer 1

The function that you describe is called a batch function. If I read your question correctly, you want to be able to register which package works when an error or some other event occurs.

ILogger, , - , . , , , , .

<Project xmlns=...>
    <Target Name="Build">
        <ItemGroup>
            <InstanceName Include="Foo Instance">
                <ShortName>foo</ShortName>
            </InstanceName>
            <InstanceName Include="Bar Instance">
                <ShortName>bar</ShortName>
            </InstanceName>
        </ItemGroup>

        <MSBuild Projects="$(MSBuildProjectFile)"
                 Targets="BatchedExec"
                 Properties="CurrentInstance=%(InstanceName.Identity);
                     CurrentShortName=%(ShortName)">
        </MSBuild>
    </Target>

    <Target Name="BatchedExec">
        <Message Text="CurrentInstance: $(CurrentInstance)" />
        <Message Text="CurrentShortName: $(CurrentShortName)" />

        <Exec Command="install$(CurrentShortName).bat">
            <Output TaskParameter="ExitCode" PropertyName="ExitCode"/>
        </Exec>

        <Message Text="install$(CurrentShortName).bat exited with code $(ExitCode)." />
    </Target>
</Project>

BatchedExec, , , . , .