authoring-errors-and-warnings
Error and Warning Authoring in MSBuild
Error messages are MSBuild's primary user interface. They must help developers fix problems without reading source code.
For the mechanics of error code assignment, see assigning-msb-error-code.md.
Error Message Quality Rules
Every error message must answer three questions:
- What happened? — State the problem clearly
- Why? — Provide context (file, property, expected value)
- What should the user do? — Give actionable guidance
<!-- BAD: What is "it"? What should I do? -->
<value>MSB4999: Invalid configuration.</value>
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