`dotnet build` command always fails with GitVersionTask 4.0.0-beta

[walterlv]

When a totally new .NET Standard project is created and GitVersionTask is installed on it, dotnet build command certainly fails with this message below:

C:\Users\walterlv.nuget\packages\gitversiontask\4.0.0-beta0012\build\GitVersionTask.targets(49,5): error MSB4062: The "GitVersionTask.WriteVersionInfoToBuildLog" task could not be loaded from the assembly C:\Users\walterlv.nuget\packages\gitversiontask\4.0.0-beta0012\build\GitVersionTask.dll. Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v4.0, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL'. The system cannot find the file specified. Confirm that the declaration is correct, that the assembly and all its dependencies are available, and that the task contains a public class that implements Microsoft.Build.Framework.ITask. [C:\Users\walterlv\Desktop\XxxYyyZzz\XxxYyyZzz\XxxYyyZzz.csproj]

The raw error message is here:

> dotnet build
Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 15.6.84.34536 for .NET Core
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

  Restore completed in 42.12 ms for C:\Users\walterlv\Desktop\XxxYyyZzz\XxxYyyZzz\XxxYyyZzz.csproj.
C:\Users\walterlv\.nuget\packages\gitversiontask\4.0.0-beta0012\build\GitVersionTask.targets(49,5): error MSB4062: The "GitVersionTask.WriteVersionInfoToBuildLog" task could not be loaded from the assembly C:\Users\walterlv\.nuget\packages\gitversiontask\4.0.0-beta0012\build\GitVersionTask.dll. Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v4.0, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL'. The system cannot find the file specified. Confirm that the <UsingTask> declaration is correct, that the assembly and all its dependencies are available, and that the task contains a public class that implements Microsoft.Build.Framework.ITask. [C:\Users\walterlv\Desktop\XxxYyyZzz\XxxYyyZzz\XxxYyyZzz.csproj]

Build FAILED.

C:\Users\walterlv\.nuget\packages\gitversiontask\4.0.0-beta0012\build\GitVersionTask.targets(49,5): error MSB4062: The "GitVersionTask.WriteVersionInfoToBuildLog" task could not be loaded from the assembly C:\Users\walterlv\.nuget\packages\gitversiontask\4.0.0-beta0012\build\GitVersionTask.dll. Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v4.0, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL'. The system cannot find the file specified. Confirm that the <UsingTask> declaration is correct, that the assembly and all its dependencies are available, and that the task contains a public class that implements Microsoft.Build.Framework.ITask. [C:\Users\walterlv\Desktop\XxxYyyZzz\XxxYyyZzz\XxxYyyZzz.csproj]
    0 Warning(s)
    1 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:00:01.40

Fortunately, if I build it using msbuild.exe or Visual Studio 2017, it succeeds.

My environment:

• Windows 10.0.16299.371
• Visual Studio 2017 (15.6.6)

[walterlv]

I found some related issues from other repositories:

• .NET Core MSBuild cannot load tasks built against MSBuild 4.0 .NET Core MSBuild cannot load tasks built against MSBuild 4.0 dotnet/msbuild#2111
• Should the SDK include Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v4.0? Should the SDK include Microsoft.Build.Utilities.v4.0? dotnet/sdk#1870

It seems that we should change our way to write UsingTask following .NET Core MSBuild hint.

That means we should multitargeting the GitVersionTask assembly to a version of .net standard / .net core and .net framework and then use a different assembly based on $(MSBuildRuntimeType). See dotnet/msbuild#2111 and read comments of @dasMulli for more details.

[elestedt]

Is there a workaround or must I look for another library if I've run into this? I'm going to build it CLI in a docker container in my CI environment and msbuild does not exist there

[dazinator]

What version of dotnet sdk are you building under? Please add a global.json file to lock to sdk version 2.0.0 or below. Support for building under > 2 has not bren merged yet. Please also try latest beta15 package from appveyor project nuget feed or failing that, beta14 from nuget.org

[dazinator]

P.s we do multitarget and you should see netstandard1.5 compiled gitversiontask assembly in the nuget package.

[walterlv]

@dazinator This issue was posted four months ago and .NET Core 2.0 was the latest version at that time. Maybe I can try the newest version now.

[dazinator]

@walterlv Sure. I think there is still an issue at present though when using the latest update of VS2017 (15.8.X). I uninstalled VS2017 15.8.2 and installed VS2017 15.7.6 and that seems to work. Also regardless of VS Version, dotnet build works for me as long as its pinned to SDK version 2.0 with a global.json. I have just created an issue using VS's send feedback to report the VS issue. Also I have reported here in case its a utilpack thing: stazz/UtilPack#30

[walterlv]

@dazinator Actually, it's not the bug of MSBuild or Visual Studio. I've written my own NuGet package which is used to generate git version and it works both on MSBuild and dotnet build.

• How to build a cross-platform-NuGet-tool-package - walterlv
• Shipping a cross-platform MSBuild task in a NuGet package

[walterlv]

@dazinator I've tested the latest versions of Visual Studio, .NET Core and GitVersionTask, and I find all works fine. Maybe I can close this issue.

[lindexi]

@walterlv It's Chinese blog.

[dazinator]

@walterlv

and it works both on MSBuild and dotnet build

Have you tried building from within VS 2017 (version 15.8.2) ?

• The issue we are seeing at ArgumentNullException in node issue with beta0014 #1458 only seems to occur when building with VS 2017 Community version 15.8.X. When building from msbuild on the command line, or from dotnet build on the command line it works. Are you saying you can build also fine from within VS 2017? If so would you mind confirming what version of VS2017 you are using to build with? Thanks

[walterlv]

@dazinator
Mine: 15.8.1
It works fine, too.

[dazinator]

@walterlv ok thanks for confirming. I think we can close this one then. If you do ever update VS to 15.8.2 and it starts failing (or not) please drop a comment on #1458 to let us know :-) Thanks

[walterlv]

@dazinator OK!