Question

Using the following msbuild config:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/MsBuild/2003">

    <UsingTask
        TaskName="CompressorTask"
        AssemblyFile="Yahoo.Yui.Compressor.dll" />

    <PropertyGroup>
        <JavaScriptOutputFile Condition=" '$(JavaScriptOutputFile)'=='' ">..\..\site.se\javascript\javascript.min.js</JavaScriptOutputFile>
    </PropertyGroup>

    <Target Name="CompressorTask">
        <ItemGroup>
          <JavaScriptFiles Include="..\..\site.se\javascript\javascript.js"/>
        </ItemGroup>
        <CompressorTask
             JavaScriptFiles="@(JavaScriptFiles)"
             ObfuscateJavaScript="True"
             PreserveAllSemicolons="True"
             DisableOptimizations="False"
             EncodingType="utf-8"
             DeleteJavaScriptFiles="false"
             LineBreakPosition="-1"
             JavaScriptOutputFile="$(JavaScriptOutputFile)"
             LoggingType="HardcoreBringItOn"
             ThreadCulture="en-us"
             IsEvalIgnored="false" />
    </Target>

</Project>

I get the following error:

Scripts.xml(14,11): error MSB4067: -element under
-element is unknown. (translated from swedish)

I’m using the 32bit .NET 2.0 version of MsBuild.

What’s wrong?

Answer 1

You can’t put an ItemGroup in a target with MSBuild for .NET 2. You have to use the CreateItem task or put it outside of the target. In your case you don’t seem to need to dynamically create the JavaScriptFiles item so you just have to put it outside of the target.

---

Outside:

  <ItemGroup>
    <JavaScriptFiles Include="..\..\site.se\javascript\javascript.js"/>
  </ItemGroup>

  <Target Name="CompressorTask">
    <CompressorTask
         JavaScriptFiles="@(JavaScriptFiles)"
         ObfuscateJavaScript="True"
         PreserveAllSemicolons="True"
         DisableOptimizations="False"
         EncodingType="utf-8"
         DeleteJavaScriptFiles="false"
         LineBreakPosition="-1"
         JavaScriptOutputFile="$(JavaScriptOutputFile)"
         LoggingType="HardcoreBringItOn"
         ThreadCulture="en-us"
         IsEvalIgnored="false" />
  </Target>

Using CreateItem:

  <Target Name="CompressorTask">
    <CreateItem Include="..\..\site.se\javascript\javascript.js">
      <Output TaskParameter="Include" ItemName="JavaScriptFiles"/>
    </CreateItem>

    <CompressorTask
         JavaScriptFiles="@(JavaScriptFiles)"
         ObfuscateJavaScript="True"
         PreserveAllSemicolons="True"
         DisableOptimizations="False"
         EncodingType="utf-8"
         DeleteJavaScriptFiles="false"
         LineBreakPosition="-1"
         JavaScriptOutputFile="$(JavaScriptOutputFile)"
         LoggingType="HardcoreBringItOn"
         ThreadCulture="en-us"
         IsEvalIgnored="false" />
  </Target>