Custom Target Authoring Patterns

Canonical patterns from Microsoft.Common.CurrentVersion.targets in the MSBuild repository.

The Three-Level Target Chain

Every major entry point (Build, Rebuild, Clean) delegates to a property listing its dependencies, which chains through Before → Core → After:

<PropertyGroup>
  <BuildDependsOn>
    BeforeBuild;
    CoreBuild;
    AfterBuild
  </BuildDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>

<Target Name="Build"
    Condition=" '$(_InvalidConfigurationWarning)' != 'true' "
    DependsOnTargets="$(BuildDependsOn)"
    Returns="@(TargetPathWithTargetPlatformMoniker)" />

<!-- Empty extensibility targets — users override these -->
<Target Name="BeforeBuild" />
<Target Name="AfterBuild" />

CoreBuild delegates to $(CoreBuildDependsOn) and includes error handlers:

<Target Name="CoreBuild" DependsOnTargets="$(CoreBuildDependsOn)">
  <OnError ExecuteTargets="_TimeStampAfterCompile;PostBuildEvent"
      Condition="'$(RunPostBuildEvent)' == 'Always'" />
  <OnError ExecuteTargets="_CleanRecordFileWrites" />
</Target>

Rules

• Delegate to a property (DependsOnTargets="$(MyTargetDependsOn)"), not hardcoded targets.
• OnError goes inside the orchestrating target to ensure cleanup runs even on failure.
• Empty Before/After targets are extensibility points. Users override them; SDKs never put logic in them.

Chain Extension — Append, Never Overwrite

When adding a custom target to an existing chain, append to the DependsOn property:

<!-- GOOD: Append to existing chain -->
<PropertyGroup>
  <CompileDependsOn>$(CompileDependsOn);MyCodeGenTarget</CompileDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>

<!-- BAD: Overwrites the entire chain, dropping SDK targets -->
<PropertyGroup>
  <CompileDependsOn>MyCodeGenTarget</CompileDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>

DependsOnTargets vs BeforeTargets vs AfterTargets

Mechanism	Defined in	Best for
DependsOnTargets	The target that needs deps	Target explicitly requires others
BeforeTargets	The injecting target	Insert before a target you don't own
AfterTargets	The injecting target	Insert after a target you don't own

Validation targets use BeforeTargets to intercept all entry points:

<Target Name="_CheckForInvalidConfigurationAndPlatform"
    BeforeTargets="$(BuildDependsOn);Build;$(RebuildDependsOn);Rebuild;$(CleanDependsOn);Clean">
</Target>

Rules:

• Use DependsOnTargets when your target needs specific prerequisites.
• Use BeforeTargets/AfterTargets when injecting into a pipeline you don't own.
• Prefer BeforeTargets="CoreCompile" over modifying $(CompileDependsOn) when you don't control the targets file.

Returns vs Outputs

<!-- Build returns items for consumption by referencing projects -->
<Target Name="Build"
    DependsOnTargets="$(BuildDependsOn)"
    Returns="@(TargetPathWithTargetPlatformMoniker)" />

<!-- GetTargetPath is a lightweight query target -->
<Target Name="GetTargetPath" Returns="@(TargetPathWithTargetPlatformMoniker)" />

• Returns specifies what the MSBuild task receives when calling this project. Use for inter-project communication.
• Outputs on inner targets is for incrementality (timestamp checks). Use for up-to-date detection.
• Never mix the two purposes. Query targets (GetTargetPath, GetTargetFrameworks) should use Returns, not Outputs.

Target Naming Conventions

Pattern	Meaning	Example
_PrefixedName	Internal/private target	_TimeStampBeforeCompile
CoreXxx	The actual implementation	CoreBuild, CoreCompile
BeforeXxx / AfterXxx	Empty extensibility hooks	BeforeBuild, AfterCompile
PrepareXxx	Setup/validation phase	PrepareForBuild
ResolveXxx	Discovery/resolution phase	ResolveReferences
GetXxx	Lightweight query (no side effects)	GetTargetPath

Complete Custom Target Template

<!-- 1. Define the DependsOn chain for extensibility -->
<PropertyGroup>
  <MyFeatureDependsOn>
    _ValidateMyFeatureInputs;
    BeforeMyFeature;
    CoreMyFeature;
    AfterMyFeature
  </MyFeatureDependsOn>
</PropertyGroup>

<!-- 2. Outer target with Returns for inter-project communication -->
<Target Name="MyFeature"
    DependsOnTargets="$(MyFeatureDependsOn)"
    Returns="@(MyFeatureOutput)" />

<!-- 3. Empty extensibility points -->
<Target Name="BeforeMyFeature" />
<Target Name="AfterMyFeature" />

<!-- 4. Core implementation with Inputs/Outputs for incrementality -->
<Target Name="CoreMyFeature"
    Inputs="$(MSBuildAllProjects);@(MyFeatureInput)"
    Outputs="$(IntermediateOutputPath)myfeature.generated.cs">
  <Exec Command="my-tool.exe -o $(IntermediateOutputPath)myfeature.generated.cs" />
  <!-- 5. Register outputs for clean tracking -->
  <ItemGroup>
    <Compile Include="$(IntermediateOutputPath)myfeature.generated.cs" />
    <FileWrites Include="$(IntermediateOutputPath)myfeature.generated.cs" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Target>

<!-- 6. Validation target runs first in the dependency chain -->
<Target Name="_ValidateMyFeatureInputs">
  <Error Text="MyFeatureInput items are required."
         Condition="'@(MyFeatureInput)' == ''" />
</Target>

Common Pitfalls

• Overwriting DependsOn properties drops SDK targets silently. Always include $(ExistingProperty) when appending.
• Using Outputs on query targets causes MSBuild to skip them when "up to date," returning stale data. Use Returns.
• Defining targets in .props means BeforeTargets on SDK targets have nothing to hook into yet. Move targets to .targets.
• Forgetting OnError in orchestrating targets means file tracking fails on build errors, breaking subsequent incremental builds.