dotnet-msbuild-authoring

Guidance for authoring MSBuild project system elements: custom targets with BeforeTargets/AfterTargets/DependsOnTargets, incremental build with Inputs/Outputs, props vs targets import ordering, items and item metadata (Include/Exclude/Update/Remove), conditions, property functions, well-known metadata, and advanced Directory.Build.props/Directory.Build.targets patterns.

Version assumptions: .NET 8.0+ SDK (MSBuild 17.8+). All examples use SDK-style projects.

Scope

• Custom targets with BeforeTargets/AfterTargets/DependsOnTargets
• Incremental build with Inputs/Outputs
• Props vs targets import ordering
• Items and item metadata (Include/Exclude/Update/Remove)
• Conditions and property functions
• Advanced Directory.Build.props/targets patterns
• MSBuild well-known metadata and item batching

Out of scope