MSBuild config transform issues - desination folder and reverting file back to original state

Question

Problem:

DataFolder.config file is not reverting back to previous state (the patch element's value). Also, none of the custom config file transforms are being pushed out to the destination folder.

What's interesting is the ConnectionStrings.config file is being converted back to the original state after the transformation, but not the DataFolder.config.

<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
    <!-- Web.config, ConnectionStrings.config, DataFolder.config
         Duplicates original config files into a temp file -->
    <Copy SourceFiles="Web.config" DestinationFiles="Web.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" DestinationFiles="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" DestinationFiles="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <!-- Tranforms config files -->
    <TransformXml Source="Web.temp.config" Transform="Web.$(Configuration).config" Destination="Web.config" />
    <TransformXml Source="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" Transform="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.$(Configuration).config" Destination="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" />
    <TransformXml Source="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" Transform="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.$(Configuration).config" Destination="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" />
  </Target>
  <Target Name="AfterPublish123" AfterTargets="MSDeployPublish">
    <!-- Overwrite transformed config files with the temps. 
         Delete temp files for Web.config, ConnectionStrings.config, DataFolder.config -->
    <Copy SourceFiles="Web.temp.config" DestinationFiles="Web.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Delete Files="Web.temp.config" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" DestinationFiles="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Delete Files="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" DestinationFiles="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Delete Files="$(ProjectDir)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" />
  </Target>

DataFolder.config

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration xmlns:patch="http://www.sitecore.net/xmlconfig/">
  <sitecore>
    <sc.variable name="dataFolder">
      <patch:attribute name="value">#{sitecore.DataFolder}</patch:attribute>
    </sc.variable>
  </sitecore>
</configuration>

DataFolder.Release.config

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration xmlns:xdt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/XML-Document-Transform" xmlns:patch="http://www.sitecore.net/xmlconfig/">
  <sitecore>
    <sc.variable name="dataFolder" xdt:Locator="Match(name)" xdt:Transform="Replace">
      <patch:attribute name="value">c:\inetpub\wwwroot\fb822\Data</patch:attribute>
    </sc.variable>
  </sitecore>
</configuration>

After the publish is complete, the DataFolder.config element for patch now has the value of the DataFolder.Release.config element's value, which it shouldn't.

Pendulum

What is DataFolder.Release.config? It isn't referenced in any of the msbuild code you show. When you say ConnectionStrings.config is being converted back to the original state, do you mean that the file is overwritten via the MsBuild Copy task in AfterPublish123? Did you check the log to see if also happens for DataFolder.config? Also run with verbose logging, then grep for 'DataFolder.config' to see which tasks might be altering it. – Embryo

DataFolder.Release.config is the configuration chosen (ie - $(Configuration). The TransformXml elements are the ones that "transform" the original file, using the "temp" duplicated files created. – Pendulum

Answer 1

Issue was AfterPublish is not a valid task. The correct task for running "after publishing" is:

<Target Name="CustomPostPublishActions" AfterTargets="GatherAllFilesToPublish">

Note that the Name attribute doesn't matter, it can be anything. Here's the completed output:

<UsingTask TaskName="TransformXml" AssemblyFile="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v$(VisualStudioVersion)\Web\Microsoft.Web.Publishing.Tasks.dll" />
  <Target Name="BeforeBuild">
    <!--   Web.config, ConnectionStrings.config, DataFolder.config
         Duplicates original config files into a temp file -->
    <Copy SourceFiles="Web.config" DestinationFiles="Web.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <!--  Tranforms config files -->
    <TransformXml Source="Web.temp.config" Transform="Web.$(Configuration).config" Destination="Web.config" />
    <TransformXml Source="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" Transform="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.$(Configuration).config" Destination="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" />
    <TransformXml Source="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" Transform="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.$(Configuration).config" Destination="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" />
  </Target>
  <Target Name="CustomPostPublishActions" AfterTargets="GatherAllFilesToPublish">
    <!-- Overwrite transformed config files with the temps. 
         Delete temp files for Web.config, ConnectionStrings.config, DataFolder.config -->
    <Copy SourceFiles="Web.temp.config" DestinationFiles="Web.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Delete Files="Web.temp.config" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Delete Files="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Delete Files="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" />
  </Target>

EDIT:

Adding onto my issue, when other developers "built" the project, and didn't publish it, the transform files would change the original configs, which is not the desired approach. Therefore, since we're using File Deploy as the One-Click Publish, there's a Target named CopyAllFilesToSingleFolderForPackage, which is called right before files are pushed to the directory.

<UsingTask TaskName="TransformXml" AssemblyFile="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v$(VisualStudioVersion)\Web\Microsoft.Web.Publishing.Tasks.dll" />
  <Target Name="CustomPrePublishActions" BeforeTargets="CopyAllFilesToSingleFolderForPackage">
    <!-- Duplicates original config files into a temp file -->
    <Copy SourceFiles="Web.config" DestinationFiles="Web.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.CDN.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.CDN.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.SiteDefintion.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.SiteDefintion.temp.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <!--  Tranforms config files -->
    <TransformXml Source="Web.temp.config" Transform="Web.$(Configuration).config" Destination="Web.config" />
    <TransformXml Source="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" Transform="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.$(Configuration).config" Destination="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" />
    <TransformXml Source="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" Transform="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.$(Configuration).config" Destination="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" />
    <TransformXml Source="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.CDN.temp.config" Transform="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.CDN.$(Configuration).config" Destination="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.CDN.config" />
    <TransformXml Source="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.SiteDefintion.temp.config" Transform="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.SiteDefintion.$(Configuration).config" Destination="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.SiteDefintion.config" />
  </Target>
  <Target Name="CustomPostPublishActions" AfterTargets="GatherAllFilesToPublish">
    <!-- Overwrite transformed config files with the temps. -->
    <Copy SourceFiles="Web.temp.config" DestinationFiles="Web.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.CDN.temp.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.CDN.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <Copy SourceFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.SiteDefintion.temp.config" DestinationFiles="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.SiteDefintion.config" OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="True" />
    <!-- Delete temp files -->
    <Delete Files="Web.temp.config" />
    <Delete Files="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzz\DataFolder.temp.config" />
    <Delete Files="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\ConnectionStrings.temp.config" />
    <Delete Files="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.CDN.temp.config" />
    <Delete Files="$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\App_Config\Include\zzzSites\Cinnabon\Cinnabon.SiteDefintion.temp.config" />
  </Target>

Pendulum

Glad to know that you have resolved this issue. Please mark your answer which is benefit to other communities who has the same problem. – Jasisa