Custom Build Number In Team Build

Many users want to modify the default build number of Team System Team Build which looks like: <Build-Type-Name>_<Date>.XXX.

You can change it by writing a custom task and call it in the BuildNumberOverrideTarget target of the MSBuild file. In this example the task will generate a unique build number based on current time:

using System;
using Microsoft.Build.Utilities;
using Microsoft.Build.Framework;

 
namespace MaorDavidBlog.Samples.MSBuild
{
    public class BuildNameGenerator:Task
    {

        private string _buildName;

        public override bool Execute()

        {            
            _buildName = DateTime.UtcNow.ToString();
            return true;
        }



        [Output]
        public string BuildName

        {
            get { return _buildName; }
        }

    }
}

The attribute “Output” indicates that BuildName property is output of the custom task.

Then, register the task in TFSBuild.proj file.

<!-- Add using task line just after import statement - - >
<UsingTask 
 TaskName="MaorDavidBlog.Samples.MSBuild.BuildNameGenerator"  
 AssemblyFile="$(MyCustomTasks)\MaorDavidBlog.Samples.MSBuild.dll"/>



<! -- Override the target towards the end of proj file - - >
<Target Name = "BuildNumberOverrideTarget" >
    <BuildNameGenerator> 
            <Output TaskParameter="BuildName"
            PropertyName="BuildName"/> 
    </BuildNameGenerator> 
</Target>

 

Next time you'll execute your build, you'll see your custom build name.