How to: Create a SharePoint Solution Package by Using MSBuild Tasks

You can build, clean, and validate a SharePoint package (.wsp) using command-line MSBuild tasks on a development computer. You can also use these commands to automate the build process by using Team Foundation Server on a build computer.

Building a SharePoint Package

To build a SharePoint package

1. On the Windows Start menu, choose All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt.

2. Change to the directory where your SharePoint project is located.

3. Enter the following command to create a package for the project. Replace ProjectFileName with the name of the project.

   msbuild /t:Package ProjectFileName
   

   For example, you could run one of the following commands to package a SharePoint project called ListDefinition1.

   msbuild /t:Package ListDefinition1.vbproj
   msbuild /t:Package ListDefinition1.csproj
   

Cleaning a SharePoint Package

To clean a SharePoint package

1. Open a command prompt window.

2. Change to the directory where your SharePoint project is located.

3. Enter the following command to clean a package for the project. Replace ProjectFileName with the name of the project.

   msbuild /t:CleanPackage ProjectFileName
   

   For example, you could run one of the following commands to clean a SharePoint project called ListDefinition1.

   msbuild /t:CleanPackage ListDefinition1.vbproj
   msbuild /t:CleanPackage ListDefinition1.csproj
   

Validating a SharePoint Package

To validate a SharePoint package

1. Open a command prompt window.

2. Change to the directory where your SharePoint project is located.

3. Enter the following command to validate a package for the project. Replace ProjectFileName with the name of the project.

   msbuild /t:ValidatePackage ProjectFileName
   

   For example, you could run one of the following commands to validate a SharePoint project called ListDefinition1.

   msbuild /t:ValidatePackage ListDefinition1.vbproj
   msbuild /t:ValidatePackage ListDefinition1.csproj
   

Setting Properties in a SharePoint Package

To set a property in a SharePoint package

1. Open a command prompt window.

2. Change to the directory where your SharePoint project is located.

3. Enter the following command to set a property in a package for the project. Replace PropertyName with the property that you want to set.

   msbuild /property:PropertyName=Value
   

   For example, you could run the following command to set the warning level.

   msbuild /property:WarningLevel = 2
   

See Also

Tasks

How to: Customize a SharePoint Feature

How to: Add and Remove Items to SharePoint Features

Other Resources

Creating SharePoint Features