MS Build copy a list of directories stored in Item

Question

I have a text file which contains some locations of the files which I want to copy to a temp directory

---- List.txt ----
Build\Java
Build\Classes

Now, I am fetching this list into an Item

<ReadLinesFromFile File="List.txt" >
    <Output TaskParameter="Lines"
            ItemName="DirectoryList" />
</ReadLinesFromFile>

Now, In order to append the full path, and add some excludes, I am again storing it into another ItemGroup:

<ItemGroup>
    <PackageList Include="$(BuildPath)\%(DirectoryList.Identity)\**\*.*"
                 Exclude="$(BuildPath)\%(DirectoryList.Identity)\**\*.pdb" />
</ItemGroup>

<Copy SourceFiles="@(PackageList)" 
      DestinationFiles="@(PackageList->'$(PackageTemp)\%(SourceDirectory)\%(DirInPackage)%(RecursiveDir)%(Filename)%(Extension)')" />

ISSUE:

Actual Dir -

C:\Work\Build\Java\Debug
C:\Work\Build\Java\Release
C:\Work\Build\Classes\*.class

Content in O/p

C:\temp\Debug
C:\temp\Release
C:\temp\*.class

How to make it copy the corresponding "Java" and "Classes" folder also?

Answer 1

You missed just a few moments in your script. First, you need to create a directory from @(PackageList). Second, in Copy Task when you set DestinationFiles you should specify subdirectory explicitly.

Take a look. That scrip does the job as you need. And it holds internal structure of all your subdirectories, specified by wildcard. For example, Java\Debug\Component1\file.ext

    <Project DefaultTargets="CopyDirectories" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
    <PropertyGroup>
        <BuildPath>.</BuildPath>
        <SourceDirectoryListFile>Directories.txt</SourceDirectoryListFile>
        <DestinationDirectory>temp</DestinationDirectory>
    </PropertyGroup>

    <Target Name="ReadDirectoryList">
        <ReadLinesFromFile File="$(SourceDirectoryListFile)" >
            <Output TaskParameter="Lines"
                    ItemName="DirectoryList" />
        </ReadLinesFromFile>
    </Target>

    <Target Name="CopyDirectories" DependsOnTargets="ReadDirectoryList"
            Outputs="%(DirectoryList.Identity)">
        <PropertyGroup>
            <ProcessingDirectory>%(DirectoryList.Identity)</ProcessingDirectory>
        </PropertyGroup>
        <ItemGroup>
            <PackageList Include="$(BuildPath)\$(ProcessingDirectory)\**\*.*"
                         Exclude="$(BuildPath)\$(ProcessingDirectory)\**\*.pdb" />
        </ItemGroup>
        <MakeDir Directories="$(ProcessingDirectory)" />
        <Copy SourceFiles="@(PackageList)"
              DestinationFiles="@(PackageList->'$(DestinationDirectory)\$(ProcessingDirectory)\%(RecursiveDir)%(Filename)%(Extension)')" />
    </Target>

Answer 2

Arpit, You can use a kind of reversed solution: keep in List.txt the dirs you want excluded from copy. Based on this you can create your copyfileslist using 2 sets of dirs.

So my solution looks like this:

---- List.txt ---- dirs to be excluded --- 
Demos\AccessDatabase
Demos\ActiveDirectoryMsi
Demos\JavaToolsMsi
Demos\JavaToolsMsi\Data
Demos\LocalUserGroupsMsi
Demos\MSSQLDatabase
Demos\StringToolsMsi
Demos\SystemToolsMsi
Demos\TemplateFilesMsi
Demos\UserPrivilegesMsi
Demos\WindowsServiceMsi
Common
CustomActions
Framework
Tools
Version
WixExtensions

My msbuild.proj:

<Project DefaultTargets="run" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003" >
    <Target Name="run">
        <PropertyGroup>
            <BuildPath>c:\tmp\msiext\msiext-1.3\trunk\src</BuildPath>
            <PackageTemp>c:\tmp\</PackageTemp>
        </PropertyGroup>        
        <ReadLinesFromFile File="List.txt" >
            <Output TaskParameter="Lines"
                ItemName="DirectoryList" />
        </ReadLinesFromFile>
        <Message Text="DirectoryList: @(DirectoryList)" />
        <ItemGroup>
            <PackageList Include="$(BuildPath)\%(DirectoryList.Identity)\**\*.*"
                Exclude="$(BuildPath)\%(DirectoryList.Identity)\**\*.sql" />
        </ItemGroup>
        <!--<Message Text="PackageList: @(PackageList)" />-->

        <Message Text="----------------------------------------------------------------------------" />
        <CreateItem Include="$(BuildPath)\**\*.*" Exclude="@(PackageList)">
            <Output TaskParameter="Include" ItemName="NeededFiles"/>
        </CreateItem>

        <Message Text="NeededFiles: @(NeededFiles)" />
        <Message Text="----------------------------------------------------------------------------" />
        <Copy SourceFiles="@(NeededFiles)" DestinationFiles="@(NeededFiles->'$(PackageTemp)\%(RecursiveDir)\%(Filename)%(Extension)')" />
    </Target>
</Project>