How to put double quotes in VS2010 post build step

Question

I'm trying to create a post build file copy step in VS2010 which handles path macros when they have embedded spaces. I've tried surrounding the copy commands in double quotes but I get error from when copy is invoked if $(SolutionDir) contains a space. the echoed command line in the error message does not show the double quotes.

copy "$(SolutionDir)$(Configuration)\*" "$(TargetDir)"

I also tried separately \" and "" but both of these cause the 2 character escape sequence to appear in the echoed command line? How does one properly escape a double quote in a build step?

Overture

Sorry, but why do you want to punish yourself in this way. Move your solution to a path without spaces. – Palmation

Try escaping the speechmarks by using %22 instead of " – Idiomorphic

@Palmation Mine project location doesn't have spaces but another team member unknowingly placed his workspace under "Documents/Microsoft Visual Studio\Projects". Looking for a solution to not having solution break based on its location. – Overture

Could you try with a batch file? Passing the arguments inside as %1 %2 and using quotation marks if needed inside the batch? – Palmation

@Idiomorphic Tried %22 and still get error. Error 1 The command "copy %22C:\NGLS\Debug*%22 %22C:\NGLS\DauServer\bin\Debug\%22" exited with code 1. – Overture

@Palmation I'd have the same quoting issue passing the parameters to a batch file. The problem is I need to get VS2010 to put quotes in its command line no matter if I'm calling a batch file or a copy command. – Overture

Putting quotes around macros (as you attempted to do) should work, are you sure the failure isn't due to some other problem? For example, "$(SolutionDir)$(Configuration)*" should probably have a backslash between $(Configuration) and the asterisk. – Fortin

In C++ projects the default value for the output Directory (aka TargetDir) is `$(SolutionDir)$(Configuration)\` so unless your project has a different value for Output Directory your copy is going to copy a directory onto itself. Assuming of course that you're building a C++ project here. – Fortin

Answer 1

I was having trouble using double quotes with a pre-build event command in Visual Studio. I have seen the batch file solutions to this problem, but it seems a batch file would not solve all problems and is not elegant. I found the solution was to put a space before the closing double quote. The details are as follows.

The following command worked, but would not support spaces in the path:

subwcrev $(SolutionDir) $(SolutionDir)subwcrev_template.txt $(SolutionDir)version.h

I have little control over where other developers will place the solution, so I had to support spaces in the path. Trying to use quotes around paths to support spaces, I came up with the following command. It always fails.

subwcrev "$(SolutionDir)" "$(SolutionDir)subwcrev_template.txt" "$(SolutionDir)version.h"

Almost by accident, I found the solution, put a space between the last character of the path and the double quote.

subwcrev "$(SolutionDir) " "$(SolutionDir)subwcrev_template.txt " "$(SolutionDir)version.h "

This worked. I tested this in AVR Studio 6.1, which uses a Visual Studio Shell.

Rampageous

Sweet, in VS2017 this suggestion worked whereas escaping with backslash or triple quotes or using XML entities failed utterly. – Someplace

It's because "$(SolutionDir)" resolves to "some folder\" thus the escaping your quote; "$(SolutionDir)\" will work though. – Nadenenader

Answer 2

Visual Studio project files are XML files. Some special characters, such as the double quote, have to be escaped by using named entities. I think they're similar to what's used for encoding strings to html.

MSDN has a reference on How To Use Reserved XML Characters in Project Files. In your example, all you would need to do to accomplish your copy is this in the .csproj/.vbproj file:

copy "$(SolutionDir)$(Configuration)\*" "$(TargetDir)"

That will wrap both paths in double quotes. You'll get errors when referencing paths with spaces and that's why the double quotes are required.

Satirical

This doesn't work in VS2017 - "'quot' is not recognized as an internal or external command" – Someplace

@SørenBoisen this answer is specific to VS2010. – Satirical

Answer 3

You need to put a double quote within two double quotes.

Example of a copy file in a post build step: copy /Y """C:\source path with spaces\somefile.txt""" """C:\destination path with spaces\"""

How

Answer 4

I couldn't get the other answers to work.

I finally just escaped the last "\":

"$(TargetDir)\"

Sickening

I could not understand the reason of escaping the double quote but it worked. – Pinon

Very rarely, we software developers have to do something just because it works. It makes you feel dirty without a logical reason to do so. But in this case, it is due to a design limitation (aka a bug). Hopefully MS will fix this in the future. – Sickening

@Pinon The \ isn't escaping the double quote but rather unescaping the prior trailing \ from $(TargetDir) so that it isn't interpreted as an escape character itself for the double quote and instead as a normal independent backslash. – Coquelicot

Just to add to my previous comment, unfortunately using the C# verbatim syntax of @ before the string, does not make \ a literal character in this context and instead just includes the @ in the string! – Coquelicot

Answer 5

Please, oh please don't use post build events.
Instead, use the power of MSBuild's AfterBuild target:

Right click on your project and select Edit Project File. Add an AfterBuild event:

  <Target Name="AfterBuild">
    <ItemGroup>
      <FilesToCopy Include="$(SolutionDir)$(Configuration)\*" />
    </ItemGroup>
    <Copy SourceFiles="@(FilesToCopy)"
          DestinationFolder="$(TargetDir)"
          OverwriteReadOnlyFiles="true" SkipUnchangedFiles="false" Condition="'@(FilesToCopy)' != ''" />
  </Target>

Unlike the PostBuildEvent which executes by raw cmd.exe, BeforeBuild/AfterBuild targets run by managed code, which ensures more robust execution, better maintainability and traceability.

Iodism

Does this take care of spaces in path? – Gratt

@Gratt Yes. Spaces can also be escaped using '%22' – Iodism

Not sure how... Assume $(SolutionDir) expands to C:\Path With Spaces\src. Care to show an example? – Gratt

Then %22$(SolutionDir)%22 will become "C:\Path With Spaces\src". For the example above you don't need to escape spaces as Copy task takes care of it. – Iodism

you can also escape the quotes (") with " in XML – Muddleheaded

Answer 6

It is possible to just separate the trailing \ from the " with a . like so:

"$(TargetDir)."

The . just means "the current directory" (as opposed to .. to mean "the directory one level up from the current directory"); I've never actually had a use for it until this problem hit me too!

Coquelicot

Answer 7

I had another situation. Running a tool inside the Solution Dir with two parameters containing paths with spaces. This was my solution:

"$(SolutionDir)Tool.exe" --solution-dir "$(SolutionDir)\" --project-dir "$(ProjectDir)\"

Put double quotes on the inital command, use double quotes on all paths AND use a backslash before the last double quote of each path.

Disentangle