MSBuild .Targets Files
MSBuild ships with several .targets files that contain items, properties, targets, and tasks for common scenarios. These files are automatically imported into most Visual Studio project files to simplify maintenance and readability.
Projects typically import one or more .targets files to define their build process. For example a Visual C# project created by Visual Studio will import Microsoft.CSharp.targets which imports Microsoft.Common.targets. The Visual C# project itself will define the items and properties specific to that project, but the standard build rules for a Visual C# project are defined in the imported .targets files.
.Targets Files
| .Targets file | Description |
|---|---|
Microsoft.Common.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for Visual Basic, Visual C#, and Visual J# projects. |
Microsoft.CompactFramework.Common.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for all .NET Compact Framework projects. |
Microsoft.CompactFramework.CSharp.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for Visual C# .NET Compact Framework projects. |
Microsoft.CompactFramework.CSharp.v1.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for Visual C# projects that target .NET Compact Framework version 1.0. |
Microsoft.CompactFramework.VisualBasic.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for Visual Basic .NET Compact Framework projects. |
Microsoft.CompactFramework.VisualBasic.v1.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for Visual Basic projects that target .NET Compact Framework version 1.0. |
Microsoft.CSharp.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for Visual C# projects. |
Microsoft.VisualBasic.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for Visual Basic projects. |
Microsoft.VisualJSharp.Targets |
Defines the steps in the standard build process for Visual J# projects. |