I have the following proj file: <?xml version=1.0 encoding=utf-8?> <Project ToolsVersion=4.0 DefaultTargets=Build xmlns=http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003> <PropertyGroup>

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Asked: May 20, 20262026-05-20T03:23:22+00:00 2026-05-20T03:23:22+00:00

I have the following proj file: <?xml version=1.0 encoding=utf-8?> <Project ToolsVersion=4.0 DefaultTargets=Build xmlns=http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003> <PropertyGroup>

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I have the following proj file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
    <Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">AnyCPU</Platform>
    <ProductVersion>8.0.30703</ProductVersion>
    <SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion>
    <ProjectGuid>{4B942FFC-22E5-486B-A3D7-D5EDFFF016F8}</ProjectGuid>
    <OutputType>Library</OutputType>
    <AppDesignerFolder>Properties</AppDesignerFolder>
    <RootNamespace>Args</RootNamespace>
    <AssemblyName>Args</AssemblyName>
    <TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.0</TargetFrameworkVersion>
    <FileAlignment>512</FileAlignment>
    <SccProjectName>Svn</SccProjectName>
    <SccLocalPath>Svn</SccLocalPath>
    <SccAuxPath>Svn</SccAuxPath>
    <SccProvider>SubversionScc</SccProvider>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
    <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
    <DebugType>full</DebugType>
    <Optimize>false</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
    <DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants>
    <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
    <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU'">
    <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
    <Optimize>true</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
    <DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
    <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
    <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
    <Framework>NET40</Framework>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release35|AnyCPU'">
    <TargetFrameworkVersion>v3.5</TargetFrameworkVersion>
    <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
    <Optimize>true</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\Release3.5\</OutputPath>
    <DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
    <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
    <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Compile Include="Args.cs" />
    <Compile Include="ArgumentDefinition.cs" />
    <Compile Include="ArgumentParser.cs" />
    <Compile Include="DefaultModelBinder.cs" />
    <Compile Include="IArgumentParser.cs" />
    <Compile Include="IModelBinder.cs" />
    <Compile Include="InternalExtenstions.cs" />
    <Compile Include="ModelBinders.cs" />
    <Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
    <Compile Include="Properties\Resources.Designer.cs">
      <AutoGen>True</AutoGen>
      <DesignTime>True</DesignTime>
      <DependentUpon>Resources.resx</DependentUpon>
    </Compile>
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <EmbeddedResource Include="Properties\Resources.resx">
      <Generator>ResXFileCodeGenerator</Generator>
      <LastGenOutput>Resources.Designer.cs</LastGenOutput>
    </EmbeddedResource>
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Reference Include="System" />
    <Reference Include="System.Core" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
  <!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it. 
       Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
  <Target Name="BeforeBuild">
  </Target>-->
  <Target Name="AfterBuild">
    <MSBuild Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU'"
     Projects="$(MSBuildProjectFile)"    
     Properties="Configuration=Release35" />
  </Target>
</Project>

This is my expected result when I compile the project in Release|AnyCPU:

The dll and pdb file for the project to be located in the bin\Release directory, compiled against the 4.0 framework.
The dll and pdb file for the project to be located in the bin\Release3.5 directory, compiled against the 3.5 framework.

I get this result when I Build the project; however, when I Rebuild the project, the same is true with the exception that the dll in the bin\Release directory is missing. The other 3 files (pdb in Release and dll and pdb in Release3.5) are still there and have the correct modified date.

Any help would greatly appreciated.

Edit:
After some help, it looks like it works fine when I run MSBuild from the command line, but when I am running the build through Visual Studio, that is when I get the problem I described above.

Edit2:
Verbose output from Visual Studio with Rebuild command in release mode. I was only able to post “Normal” output, and not “Detailed” or “Diagnostics” due to the length. I did look through those, and I didn’t see any steps for deleting Args.dll from the regular release directory AFTER it had been compiled and copied from obj to bin (there was a delete step before the compile, but I would expect that).

------ Rebuild All started: Project: Args, Configuration: Release Any CPU ------
Build started 2/15/2011 8:23:57 AM.
CoreClean:
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\bin\Release\Args.dll".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\bin\Release\Args.pdb".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release\Args.Properties.Resources.resources".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release\GenerateResource.read.1.tlog".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release\GenerateResource.write.1.tlog".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release\Args.dll".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release\Args.pdb".
CoreResGen:
  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools\resgen.exe" /useSourcePath /r:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\.NETFramework\v4.0\mscorlib.dll" /r:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\.NETFramework\v4.0\System.Core.dll" /r:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\.NETFramework\v4.0\System.dll" /compile Properties\Resources.resx,obj\Release\Args.Properties.Resources.resources
  Processing resource file "Properties\Resources.resx" into "obj\Release\Args.Properties.Resources.resources".
GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute:
Skipping target "GenerateTargetFrameworkMonikerAttribute" because all output files are up-to-date with respect to the input files.
CoreCompile:
  C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Csc.exe /noconfig /nowarn:1701,1702 /nostdlib+ /errorreport:prompt /warn:4 /define:TRACE /reference:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\.NETFramework\v4.0\mscorlib.dll" /reference:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\.NETFramework\v4.0\System.Core.dll" /reference:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\.NETFramework\v4.0\System.dll" /debug:pdbonly /filealign:512 /optimize+ /out:obj\Release\Args.dll /resource:obj\Release\Args.Properties.Resources.resources /target:library Args.cs ArgumentDefinition.cs ArgumentParser.cs Configuration.cs IInitializeModelBindingStrategy.cs ModelBindingStrategy.cs DefaultModelBinder.cs IArgsTypeConverter.cs IArgumentParser.cs IModelBinder.cs InternalExtenstions.cs InvalidArgsFormatException.cs InvalidModelDefinitionException.cs LambdaArgsTypeConverter.cs ModelBinders.cs Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs Properties\Resources.Designer.cs "C:\Users\Brian\AppData\Local\Temp\.NETFramework,Version=v4.0.AssemblyAttributes.cs"
CopyFilesToOutputDirectory:
  Copying file from "obj\Release\Args.dll" to "bin\Release\Args.dll".
  Args -> C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\bin\Release\Args.dll
  Copying file from "obj\Release\Args.pdb" to "bin\Release\Args.pdb".
CoreClean:
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\bin\Release3.5\Args.dll".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\bin\Release3.5\Args.pdb".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release35\Args.Properties.Resources.resources".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release35\ResGen.read.1.tlog".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release35\ResGen.write.1.tlog".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release35\Args.dll".
  Deleting file "C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\obj\Release35\Args.pdb".
CoreResGen:
  C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools\x64\Tracker.exe @"C:\Users\Brian\AppData\Local\Temp\e35fa3c4055b4fd18515148e01c79912.tmp"  /c "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\Bin\ResGen.exe" /useSourcePath /r:C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\mscorlib.dll /r:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\v3.5\System.Core.dll" /r:C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\System.dll /compile Properties\Resources.resx,obj\Release35\Args.Properties.Resources.resources 
CoreCompile:
  C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Csc.exe /noconfig /nowarn:1701,1702 /nostdlib+ /errorreport:prompt /warn:4 /define:TRACE /reference:C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\mscorlib.dll /reference:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework\v3.5\System.Core.dll" /reference:C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\System.dll /debug:pdbonly /filealign:512 /optimize+ /out:obj\Release35\Args.dll /resource:obj\Release35\Args.Properties.Resources.resources /target:library Args.cs ArgumentDefinition.cs ArgumentParser.cs Configuration.cs IInitializeModelBindingStrategy.cs ModelBindingStrategy.cs DefaultModelBinder.cs IArgsTypeConverter.cs IArgumentParser.cs IModelBinder.cs InternalExtenstions.cs InvalidArgsFormatException.cs InvalidModelDefinitionException.cs LambdaArgsTypeConverter.cs ModelBinders.cs Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs Properties\Resources.Designer.cs
CopyFilesToOutputDirectory:
  Copying file from "obj\Release35\Args.dll" to "bin\Release3.5\Args.dll".
  Args -> C:\Users\Brian\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Args\Args\bin\Release3.5\Args.dll
  Copying file from "obj\Release35\Args.pdb" to "bin\Release3.5\Args.pdb".

Build succeeded.

Time Elapsed 00:00:00.98
========== Rebuild All: 1 succeeded, 0 failed, 0 skipped ==========

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1 Answer

Editorial Team · Answer 1 · 2026-05-20T03:23:22+00:00

Why

<TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.0</TargetFrameworkVersion>

is under main PropertyGroup and not just under conditions
<PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
and <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU'"> ?

Hmmm…
What happens if you add a command like

<Exec Command="attrib +r $(TargetPath)"/>

to AfterBuild, PreBuildEvent or BeforeBuild ?
(Where TargetPath should be the dll file…)

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