Multi-level merging of msbuild Directory.Build.props files

Question

I have this structure:

\
  MySolution.sln
  Directory.Build.props     (1)
  \src
    Directory.Build.props   (2-src)
    \Project1
    \Project2
  \test
    Directory.Build.props   (2-test)
    \Project1Tests
    \Project2Tests

I have common properties for all projects (1), common properties for src projects (2-src), and common properties for test projects (2-test).

For (2-src) and (2-test) to import (1), according to advice given at the repo, I added to each of them:

<Import Project="$([MSBuild]::GetPathOfFileAbove('Directory.Build.props'))" />

That doesn't work (I get an error that the import causes a circular dependency.). So I tried:

<Import Project="$([MSBuild]::GetPathOfFileAbove('Directory.Build.props', '../'))" />

Which also doesn't work for the same reason. But this does work:

<Import Project="../Directory.Build.props" />

I prefer to use the msbuild commands (which support a deeper directory structure), rather than a hardcoded value. Is that possible?

Answer 1

You can work around it by using the folder name of the current file ($(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)):

  <Import Project="$([MSBuild]::GetPathOfFileAbove('Directory.Build.props', '$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)..\'))" />

This is required because relative paths are interpreted as relative to the project so just using ../ as the second parameter would always be "one up from the csproj" file regardless of the location of the file this statement is in.

Answer 2

Worked for me, with a minor improvement:

<PropertyGroup>
  <ParentDirectoryBuildPropsPath>$([MSBuild]::GetPathOfFileAbove('Directory.Build.props', '$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)..\'))</ParentDirectoryBuildPropsPath>
</PropertyGroup>

<ImportGroup>
  <Import Project="$(ParentDirectoryBuildPropsPath)" />
</ImportGroup>

Condition accordingly, of course.